William Boyle's "City of Margins"

William Boyle is from Brooklyn, New York. His books include: Gravesend, which was nominated for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in France and shortlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger in the UK; The Lonely Witness, which was nominated for the Hammett Prize and is nominated for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière; and A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi.

Here Boyle dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, City of Margins:

Heavily inspired by films with big ensemble casts by directors like Robert Altman, Alan Rudolph, and John Sayles, City of Margins has that same double VHS sprawl, with nine key players and lots of bit parts. If it was to get made into a film, here's who I'd like to play the lead roles:

Ava Bifulco: Marisa Tomei

Donna Rotante: Elisabeth Moss

Donnie Parascandolo: Vince Vaughn

Mikey Baldini: Alex Wolff

Antonina Divino: Florence Pugh

Nick Bifulco: Jesse Plemons

Rosemarie Baldini: Amy Ryan

Ralph Sottile: Robert Longstreet

Pags: Kevin Corrigan

This was tough. I’m a big film lover, and I often think about certain actors as I write. Edie Falco, John Turturro, and Steve Buscemi are just a few saints of my imagination. I also write a lot with James Gandolfini in mind, and I’m sad I’ll never get to write something he could actually star in—that would’ve been the greatest. City of Margins presented other challenges, as it was probably the first book I’ve written where I didn’t picture actors in at least a few of the main roles. This is a dream cast, unattainable by any measure, but it feels very right. The younger roles (Antonina and Mikey) were the hardest to come up with actors for. I’m thinking the Safdie Brothers to direct—this could be their Magnolia. And I’d need to strong-arm my way into being music coordinator, so I could control the soundtrack, which needs plenty of Garland Jeffreys and Lou Reed.

Visit William Boyle's website.

My Book, The Movie: Gravesend and The Lonely Witness.

Writers Read: William Boyle.

The Page 69 Test: City of Margins.

--Marshal Zeringue