This was such an interesting novel, centring on Dora Frenhofer, a Dutch novelist, and the people that have populated her life. As with any story that moves between different narrative perspectives, I liked some (much) more than others, but I was impressed throughout by how authentic each of the stories felt, and how well-researched each of the scenarios were. One character in particular I found wildly depressing, and the novel as a whole was pretty sad – but definitely worth reading I think, and I would read more Tom Rachman!

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done a fantastic job of creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems. The language is clear, concise, and evocative, with descriptions that bring the setting and characters to life. Dialogue is natural and authentic, and the pacing is well-balanced, with enough tension and release to keep the reader engaged.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, and no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Imposters is the fifth novel by American author, Tom Rachman. Dora Frenhofer has been described as a minor Dutch novelist, and she probably wouldn’t disagree. At seventy-three, and living in North West London, she has embarked on (likely) her last manuscript. It will consist of nine chapters, the first and last featuring Dora herself. “This story regards an unsympathetic character, a failing novelist, based on herself. It’s a punishing self-portrait.”

It’s interesting to see how seemingly unrelated vignettes about various figures in her life reveal snippets of her character. There’s her fictional husband, Barry, who will alert her when it’s time to “pull the plug”; her younger brother, Theo, whose disappearance may or may not have had something to do with a drowning in Delhi; her estranged daughter, LA comedy ghost writer, Beck; a young French/Arabian student, Amir who gets into bother in the Middle East.

Then there are: a New York City novelist, Danny Levittan, who discovers his irrelevance at a Literary Festival in Australia; a London bicycle courier in his fifties, Will de Courcy, who is offered work with a news media site that translates foreign language blogs and adds clickbait headlines, where he meets a French/Arabian translator writing a memoir.

Finally, Dora’s former student, a grieving Danish journalist, Morgan Willumsen, whose children were murdered by a right-wing activist; and her former lover, American food and wine writer, Alan Zelikov, resident in Paris, receiving a visit from Beck Frenhofer who wants to meet her half-brother, his son Benjamin.

During that encounter, Alan, who “considers his career as an accomplishment without value” hears Beck describe her mother in London: “how she has wilted over the years, gradually shedding all companions. She did this in pursuit of her writing –yet isolation only made her novels barren.”

Dora turns out to be the ultimate unreliable narrator as it becomes clear that diary entries prefacing chapters hint at the inspiration for what occurs in the chapter that follows: perhaps her memoir is more fiction than fact? She does, after all, maintain that “A novel is what you make; a memoir, what’s made of you… Novels are her inner life”

“You know your own personality in the way that sonar knows distance, by bouncing it off what’s around. According to others’ reactions, your confidence shrivels or becomes bloated. Over time, this is who you consider yourself to be. Rarely, you stumble into yourself unmediated, brushing your teeth perhaps, or travelling alone.”

The final chapter, describing a mix-up at a private euthanasia clinic, is darkly funny and reveals what some readers might have suspected.

Rachman’s descriptive prose is often gorgeous: “Mr Bhatt smiles, flushing with love for his wife – her defiance a flirt, like his grumpiness… Her praise infuses him like nothing else, much as her derision empties Mr Bhatt, a plug yanked from the basin of him.”

His dialogue is often entertaining, as demonstrated when Danny encounters Dora at the airport:
“‘What kind of fiction do you write?’ he asks.
‘The sad kind, where nothing happens, then it ends.’
‘I might be one of your characters.’
‘Oh, you are. Are you only realizing that now?’
‘Maybe you’re one of mine.’
‘Do you write women?’
‘Of course.’
‘Do you write them well?’
Do you write men well?’
‘Very well. Men on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Written for women who ended up married to them.’”
Tom Rachman’s latest offering is topical, clever and insightful, a pleasure to read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Quercus Books.

4,5
I enjoyed The Imperfectionists and loved The Rise and Fall of Great Powers, so I was very much looking forward to reading Rachman’s new book. Luckily I was not disappointed.
The Imposters is set during the pandemic and exists of interlinked stories that little-known Dutch novelist Dora Frenhofer writes about people she has known. On the whole, I’m not one for stories, but here the structure worked very well and I wanted to know more about each and every one of the characters. They all were fascinating enough to deserve a book of his/her own really, so I have to admit I was sometimes a bit sad when a new chapter began.
All in all, a wonderful book about writing, story telling and in the end also about loneliness.
Thank you riverrun and Netgalley for the ARC.

Having said that I’m done with pandemic books for a bit (easier said than done, apparently - I really should look more closely), the Imposters is a pandemic influenced novel, with the premise being that of a writer working on one last book, each chapter loosely based on people in her life, interspersed with diary entries that look at her lockdown life, and pick apart the truthfulness of her narrative in the book. I took a few chapters to get into the conceit of it, but it then flew by. It’s not perhaps an easy read, with many chapters being rather bleak in tone, but it’s always interesting - I particularly enjoyed uncovering the discrepancies between ‘real’ life and the characters within the novel.

A work of multiple characters and storylines that have a commonality in intersecting with the life of author Dora Frenhofer. Some also overlap with others, showing the interconnected nature of our lives.
The different narratives include topical issues of the present - fake news and social media manipulation, loneliness and the impact of lockdowns on mental health and the economy. These are the elements that drew me to chose it.
So many of the characters were writers, to the extent that I wondered if the autobiographical and personal doubts of the author were maybe too much over represented. I am also not sure what the title refers to.. is it writers, living their lives through words and shaping the narrative?
I enjoyed the different threads, however, and the characters were all vivid and interesting.

I have read Tom Rachman's previous novels and enjoyed them so I was looking forward to this new release and it does not disappoint. Highly inventive and imaginative, it follows an ageing novelist and her characters and how they interlink and connect. I think fans of literary fiction by the likes of Ali Smith would appreciate this one.