THE AUTHENTICITY PROJECT
By Clare Pooley
2nd April 2020 | Bantam Press | Hardback | £12.99
Won in a hotly-contested 6 way auction within 6 weeks of submission, The Authenticity Project has now been sold in 28 territories around the world and is a Editors Pick for April 2020 in The Bookseller.
The novel combines the tenderness of The Lido and The Keeper of Lost Things with the narrative structure of Love Actually, all while exploring loneliness, motherhood, addiction, love, and the importance of truth, connection and friendship in society today.
‘I loved it…such an intriguing premise…a clever, uplifting book that entertains and makes you think.’ Sophie Kinsella
‘This book has a great concept and follows it through with warmth and heart…If you’re a fan of Eleanor Oliphant, read this!’ Fabulous Books to look out for 2020
‘A quirky cast of characters you can’t help but root for.’ Woman & Home Books of 2020
‘One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Original, engaging and unforgettable.’ Sarah Morgan
‘It reminded me of those classic Richard Curtis films…Fab characters and just the right amount of romance, humour and weepy moments.’ Rachel Marks, author of Saturdays at Noon
Everybody lies about their lives. What would happen if you shared the truth instead?
Julian Jessop is living a lie. He's lonely but refuses to speak to neighbours. He loved his wife when she was alive, but he didn't tell her. (In fact, he wasn't very kind to her at all.)
He feels invisible to the world but he doesn't want to go out.
But now he wants to be honest.
So he writes his truth in a small green notebook and leaves it in his local cafe.
Monica gave up a high-flying career as a lawyer to open her own cafe,
but it isn't going as well as she hoped.
On finding the notebook, she's both inspired to write her own truth and to help Julian out of his loneliness.
Little does Julian know that his one small act is about to bring a whole group of people together as they discover the power, and the danger, of honesty.
Further praise for The Authenticity Project:
‘Full of life’s truths, funny, poignant and ultimately uplifting.’ Fanny Blake
‘Beautifully written, thought provoking and uplifting…a joy to read.’ Mike Gayle
‘A rich roast of great characters…If Monica’s Café were a real place, I’d stop by every day.’ Laurie
Frankel, author of This Is How It Always Is
‘Like hanging out with a rowdy, affectionate bunch of friends where you don’t want the party to stop.’ Beth Morrey, author of Saving Missy
First
off, I admire the originality of the concept for The Authenticity
Project. The idea provokes the reader to think about how they might
deal with similar situations to the characters, pausing to consider
if they would do things differently. All the while wondering what
they would write if they were to pick up the pale-green
notebook?
Actions have consequences and in this case, a
helping hand doesn't necessarily mean it's the right thing to do.
Yet, The Authenticity Project is a feel-good novel. It's a
fascinating blend of characters; people who you wouldn't necessarily
associate together. The simple green exercise book provokes each new
owner to write the truth about their lives; warts and all. It's a way
of offloading the burden and the reality in their life. More
importantly, it triggers a need to find and help the previous mystery
writers whilst hoping they are doing them a favour. What could
possibly go wrong?
I've always enjoyed reading about
flawed characters and this novel's packed with them. The outside
world may think these six people are leading exemplary lives,
however, the reality of how they project themselves to the outside
world is a sham. Not surprisingly, as the layers of deceit are
revealed the outcomes offer relief and new perspectives.
The
ending is poignant but looking at the bigger picture, those who
picked up and contributed to The Authenticity Project find the
closure they need to continue their lives and more importantly to use
their new-found courage to be better people than before.
Overall,
if you're looking for something "just a little bit different",
you won't go far wrong with this gem of
a book.
***arc generously received courtesy of the publisher
Transworld via NetGalley***
Clare Pooley graduated from Cambridge and spent twenty years in the heady world of advertising before becoming a full-time mum. She is the author of the hugely popular blog, Mummy was a Secret Drinker, under the pseudonym Sober Mummy and her memoir, The Sober Diaries was published by Hodder in 2017 to critical acclaim.
Her blog has had over two million hits and she recently gave a TEDx talk titled Making Sober Less Shameful.
Clare’s debut novel The Authenticity Project is inspired by the time Clare spent in advertising, a world where the line between authenticity and fiction is constantly blurred, and by her own experience of exposing truth about her seemingly perfect life in her memoir.
Speaking about the book, Clare commented: "Four years ago, my world, as portrayed on social
media, seemed pretty perfect; in reality, it was falling apart. When I finally plucked up the courage to tell the truth, it transformed my life, and helped many other people. That got me thinking: everybody lies about their lives. What would happen if we told the truth instead? Perhaps nothing, but maybe something magical. That thought led to The Authenticity Project. I hope that the book gets everyone asking themselves ‘what truth would I tell?’"
Clare writes from her kitchen table in Fulham, London where she lives with her longsuffering husband, three children, dog and an African pygmy hedgehog.
