Owen King reads from his new novel in New Paltz on Friday

Owen King, author of the highly acclaimed and award-winning We’re All in This Together: A Novella and Stories, has just published his first novel, Double Feature, about a student filmmaker and his tumultuous relationship with his difficult father, a B-movie film director. The book has won critical accolades and been variously praised as “an amazing tour de force,” “an ingeniously structured novel about fathers and sons, good art and bad art, success and failure, fight or flight” and “a kinetic, joyful, gonzo ride.” “Sharp, hilarious and irreverent, Double Feature is not only a love letter to cinema, but also a moving exploration of what it means to be an artist. This novel is brilliant, and Owen King is a magician,” raves Lauren Groff, author of The Monsters of Templeton and Arcadia.

King, who resides in New Paltz with his novelist wife Kathy Braffet, will read and sign copies of his new novel at the Inquiring Minds Bookstore in New Paltz on April 5 at 7 p.m. He will also host a reading at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck on April 27 at 7 p.m.

Although he has never directed a movie, King, who grew up in Maine, is an aficionado of 1980s pulp movies – hardly surprising for the son of a scribe who has been dubbed the “King of Horror.” His famous father is certainly a cultural force to be reckoned with, but he’s nothing like the pompous, overbearing father figure in Double Feature, King has said. His hometown, alma mater (Vassar College) and even the Hudson Valley Mall have recognizable counterpoints in the new book.

As a child, King had his sights set on becoming a professional baseball player, but when that didn’t pan out, turned to writing. He earned his MFA at Columbia University and published his first book, We Are All in This Together, in 2005. He worked on Double Feature for five years and is now researching his next novel, which will center around baseball.

Owen King reading/signing Double Feature, Friday, April 5, 7 p.m., Inquiring Minds, 6 Church Street, New Paltz, (845) 255-8300, www.inquiringbooks.com; Saturday, April 27, 7 p.m., Oblong Books & Music, 6422 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, (845) 876-0500, www.oblongbooks.com.