Rachman, Tom

Topical, clever, and insightful. Rachman’s writing is first-rate, as is Fudge’s narration.

Along with the skewering of art-world and academic pretensions, there is humor, humanity, and compassion in Rachman's writing. For most fiction readers. [See Prepub Alert, 9/25/17.]

Recommend this gem to all fans of contemporary fiction.

Rachman's novel is a mystery of sorts, moving episodically between 1988 and 2011 as the reader attempts to unravel the truth of Tooly's identity at the same time she does. In a novel where every character has created a semifictional persona, this is a tale about the mystery of the self, the power of books, and how truth and fiction can inextricably intermingle. A captivating, if slightly overlong puzzle of a novel by the author of The Imperfectionists. [See Prepub Alert, 12/7/13.]