SOMERS, N.Y. - “I always knew I was developing a great narrative in college,” says Somers author Alfred D’Alessandro.
His new novel “The B-Side of Paradise” draws from his own experiences at Princeton in the 1970’s, and explores campus social life through the eyes of a “spirited first-gen, crashing and burning the Ivy League like Holden Caulfield reborn.”
The novel, described as an homage to the works of Dave Barry, Jean Shepard, and Hunter S. Thompson, tells of the lesser-known aspects of higher education, while offering insightful life lessons with humor and heart.
Raised in a working-class family on Long Island, D’Alessandro eventually found himself attending the prestigious Princeton University. There, he was quickly surrounded by a diverse array of fellow students as he navigated the campus social scene.
“I was called a floater,” D’Alessandro explains. “I was admitted to more social milieus than the average student.”
His eclectic circle comes to include a member of the Onondaga nation and a friend hailing from the ghettos of Florida’s Coconut Grove, among others.
The same can be said for the novel’s protagonist, whose adventures find him making the acquaintance of a Persian princess, venturing into the tenth circle of hell otherwise known as “The Love Suite of Spelman Hall,” and receiving an invitation to the exclusive Ivy Club. These interactions would bring him up and down Princeton’s social ladder, and the ensuing mischief provided the genesis for “The B-Side of Paradise.”
After graduation, D’Alessandro studied screenwriting at Columbia University under legendary “script guru” Frank Daniel, who he credits for helping to inspire the novel.
“Frank taught me everything I know about narrative structure, character development and how to transfer those lessons to the written word,” he explains.
When the world shut down due to the Covid pandemic, D’Alessandro saw his opportunity to finally put pen to paper and craft his narrative. In September of 2024, his vision finally became a reality.
“It was always something I wanted to do,” he concludes.
“The B-Side of Paradise” is currently available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and D’Alessandro is already planning on a prequel to be released as a serial later this year.
Currently, he serves as the publisher of What To Do: Armonk, Bedford & Chappaqua.
Praise for “The B-Side of Paradise”
“An authentic and irresistible new voice in American literature. I heard Holden Caulfield. And definitely Vonnegut. For those of us who matriculated with “The Big Chill” - Lawrence Kasdan. But when I read the line, ‘Besides, matters like class attendance didn’t faze Bhikkhu Bob who was otherwise engaged on the eightfold path to the cessation of suffering,’ I knew I was in the grip of an authentic and irresistible new voice in American literature.”
-Bram Lewis, The Schoolhouse Theater
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