Allison was born in Ithaca, New York, and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He later moved to Evanston, Illinois, where he attended Evanston Township High School and graduated from Northwestern University. He later studied playwriting as a fellow of The Juilliard School. His debut novel, Christopher, was a finalist for the 2004 PEN Center USA Literary Award. His third novel, Undiscovered Gyrl, was made into the film Ask Me Anything, written and directed by Allison. His latest novel, The Escape of Malcolm Poe, was published in 2014 by Writer's Tribe Books.