The Imposters

Rachman’s (The Italian Teacher) latest novel features aging writer Dora Frenhofer, a moderately successful, Dutch-born novelist contemplating death while finishing her last book. This uniquely structured work—a novel in stories peppered with enigmatic diary entries—echoes Rachman’s previous books, where each chapter feels like its own story. By the end, however, a thread that holds them together is revealed. Listeners may wonder if Dora’s project is a memoir, a diary, or fiction. Is she an unreliable narrator or a person just trying to finish her work, confounded by the mishmash of fact and fiction in her life? Are her diary entries real or fiction of a different sort, perhaps connected to the greater work? Listeners get a taste of the writer’s process as Dora’s output exposes the nature of truth. Fenella Fudge provides an array of accents and emotions, making each character distinctive and relatable. Beginning with the enigmatic Dora, Fudge’s voice reveals her psyche with unpredictable clarity. Other characters are equally strong, as Fudge expertly personalizes each portrayal.