Contemporary ensemble fiction

The Authenticity Project

by Clare Pooley

Lonely artist Julian Jessop writes the unvarnished truth about his life in a green notebook and leaves it for a stranger to find. Cafe owner Monica adds her own confession before passing the notebook onward, eventually connecting six people whose public images conceal loneliness, addiction, insecurity, or regret. Their attempts to help one another do not always survive the complications created by selective honesty and good intentions. Warm and ensemble-driven, this novel suits readers who enjoy found family, London community stories, intergenerational friendship, and hopeful fiction that treats authenticity as a practice rather than a single brave revelation.