The Book Whisperer Discovers a Remarkable Story

Of late, I have discovered several delightful books. The Possible World by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz, Virgil Wander by Leif Enger, and surprisingly The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary all have been engaging reading. The latter is not my usual fare, but I found the book charming. All three of these books are ones I have shared with others, pressing them to read the books. Now, I have another: The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley. I may become like the ancient mariner who buttonholes the wedding guest, but I will beguile my listeners with what they should be reading next!

The Authenticity Project starts with an entry by Julian Jessop, septuagenarian artist, who writes this entry: “Everyone lies about their lives. What would happen if you shared the truth instead? The one thing that defines you, that makes everything else about you fall into place? Not on the Internet, but with those real people around you?” Julian continues describing more of his life, past and present. One line stands out: “I AM LONELY.”

Julian leaves the journal on a table in Monica’s café. Monica finds the book and looks for Julian on the sidewalk so she can return it. When she cannot find him, she opens the book and starts reading his story. Soon, Monica decides to add her story to the journal, which is really “a plain, pale-green exercise book, like the one Monica had carried around with her at school, filled with details of homework assignments.”

While Julian tells some of the truth, interestingly enough, he begins The Authenticity Project with a lie too. Readers will be taken aback when they learn the truth near the end of the story.

Monica writes her story, revealing her innermost heart and before she can change her mind, she drops the book off on a table in the wine bar across from her café. From there, the journal continues its journey.

While we often use words like twists and unpredictable in describing mystery novels, those words do not fit well in describing The Authenticity Project even though Pooley surprises readers with unexpected turns in the story—revelations that are truly unpredictable.

The Authenticity Project brings together a disparate group of people, in age, education, and background. Through Monica’s careful planning, they form a group of friends. As with any group, the people within it experience ups and downs. Overall, the characters are people readers will care about. They have warts and beauty marks, like real people.

Hazard, for example, is a drug and alcohol addict who finally realizes he has hit bottom and turns his life around. Alice, known as @aliceinwonderland on her Instagram page, struggles with being a new mother and the responsibility of her daughter as she fears her marriage is crumbling. The other characters have compelling lives as well.

Read The Authenticity Project. You will certainly be glad you did!

At the end of The Authenticity Project in the acknowledgements, Clare Pooley describes how she came to write the story. I will let readers discover that for themselves. I only suggest that you read the book first and then read the why and how at the end. Discover more about Clare Pooley on her Web site: https://clarepooley.com/.