The Fake by Zoe Whittall
A Review by Pamela Sinclair
Shelby is grieving the sudden death of her wife, Kate. She has become isolated from friends and family who don’t understand what she is going through. Struggling to come to terms with loss and suffering from health anxiety that predates her current troubles, she joins a grief support group. Shelby meets Cammie at the group. Cammie is beautiful, vibrant, and entertaining at group counselling. She “brings the group alive, like an orchestra conductor” (pg. 36). Shelby can see how engaged the others in the room are in Cammie’s presence, they are enamoured. Shelby and Cammie quickly become friends outside the group setting. Cammie seems to be just what Shelby needs to break her cycle of staying home for days and weeks at a time and helps Shelby move just outside her comfort zone. A rooftop adventure seals their friendship. Suddenly, Shelby feels like she has someone in her life who completely understands everything she is going through. Cammie shares her problems with Shelby, who helps her get a job and gives her a place to stay, a level of generosity she will grow to regret.
Gibson is approaching 40 and recently separated from his wife, living in a depressing, small, one-bedroom apartment he feels would be more suited to a younger version of himself. A one-night stand with Cammie quickly morphs into a relationship. He is mesmerized by the sex; how attractive Cammie is, and how handsome she makes him feel. Cammie becomes everything he ever wanted in a relationship, “He’s like a newly hatched chick with a dumb, bewildered look on his face, just happy to be alive” (pg. 12). He feels like she understands him with a depth he has never experienced, and more alive than he has ever felt. Cammie uses mirroring to deflect Gibson’s questions and show him what he wants to see. The deception works, and he feels he has known her for a long time, even though they have just met. His friends are less than convinced from the start, but it isn’t based on lingering loyalties to Gibson’s ex-wife Veda. Cammie is caught in a lie by his friends claiming to have been a backup singer on an Arcade Fire track. Gibson dismisses the accusation, though doubts linger. He thinks he has found the woman of his dreams. A cryptic encounter with Cammie’s ‘abusive’ ex will haunt Gibson.
“The Fake is for anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of being lied to by a master manipulator and suffered through the resulting chaos.”
When Shelby and Gibson finally meet, they’ve been given inaccurate information about each other, which initially breeds distrust. But the con is already unravelling for Cammie, and she becomes trapped in the web of lies she’s told, and her deflective tactics fail. Shelby and Gibson have begun to have doubts, but the things she lies about don’t make any sense. Who claims to have cancer when they are healthy? Despite Cammie’s continued attempts at manipulation, they quickly discover the deception. Doubts linger within them about their judgment; a basic trust has been broken and they are changed. Shelby thinks of her life before Cammie and after. Gibson, despite the growing evidence, questions his judgement.
The emotional layers examined through the characters are complex, insightful, and real. The Fake is for anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of being lied to by a master manipulator and suffered through the resulting chaos. With whip-sharp prose and pacing, I nearly read this book in one sitting, it is an enthralling page-turner. I identified with both point-of-view characters at different segments in the book. It is a quick and worthwhile read, I highly recommend it.
About the Author
Zoe Whittall is the author of the bestselling novels The Spectacular, The Best Kind of People—a finalist for the Giller Prize, and Holding Still For As Long As Possible—winner of a Lambda Literary Award. She has published poetry and written for TV. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
About the Reviewer
Pamela Sinclair is a writer and lifelong reader. She enjoys reading multiple genres, both fiction and nonfiction. She lives in Halifax, NS, with her husband, daughter, and a grumpy grey cat named Ben. She is currently working on her first novel.
Book Details
Publisher : HarperCollins Publishers (March 21 2023)
Language : English
Paperback : 208 pages
ISBN-10 : 1443455288
ISBN-13 : 978-1443455282