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The Imposters
From the author of the international bestseller The Imperfectionists, the story of a chameleonic writer, and the indelible characters in her orbit, in a novel about love, the power of art and what we leave behind.Dora Frenhofer, a once successful but now aging and embittered novelist, knows her mind is going. She is determined, however, to finish her final book, and reverse her fortunes, before time runs out. Alone in her London home during the pandemic, she creates, and is in turn created by, the fascinating real characters from her own life.Like a twenty-first-century Scheherazade, Dora spins stories to ward off her end. From New Delhi to New York, Copenhagen to Los Angeles, Australia to Syria to Paris, Dora's chapters trot the globe, inhabiting the perspectives of her missing brother, her estranged daughter, her erstwhile lover, and her last remaining friend, among others in her orbit. As her own life comes into ever sharper focus, so do the signal events that have made her who she is, leaving us in Dora's thrall until, with an unforeseen twist, she snaps the final piece of the puzzle into place.The Imposters is Tom Rachman at his inimitable best. With his trademark style--at once "deliciously ironic and deeply affectionate" (The Washington Post)--he has delivered a novel whose formal ingenuity and flamboyant technique are matched only by its humanity and generosity.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 27, 2023
115 people are currently reading
11986 people want to read
About the author
Tom Rachman
8 books591 followersTom Rachman is the author of four works of fiction: his bestselling debut, The Imperfectionists (2010), which was translated into 25 languages; the critically acclaimed follow-up, The Rise & Fall of Great Powers (2014); a satirical audiobook-in-stories Basket of Deplorables (2017); and an upcoming novel set in the art world, The Italian Teacher (March 2018).
Born in London and raised in Vancouver, Tom studied cinema at the University of Toronto and journalism at Columbia University in New York. He worked at The Associated Press as a foreign-news editor in Manhattan headquarters, then became a correspondent in Rome. He also reported from India, Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea, Egypt, Turkey and elsewhere. To write fiction, he left the AP and moved to Paris, supporting himself as an editor at the International Herald Tribune. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and newyorker.com, among other publications. He lives in London.
Born in London and raised in Vancouver, Tom studied cinema at the University of Toronto and journalism at Columbia University in New York. He worked at The Associated Press as a foreign-news editor in Manhattan headquarters, then became a correspondent in Rome. He also reported from India, Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea, Egypt, Turkey and elsewhere. To write fiction, he left the AP and moved to Paris, supporting himself as an editor at the International Herald Tribune. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and newyorker.com, among other publications. He lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
February 18, 2023
This book was the absolute perfect match for me. It has everything I like in a work of fiction wrapped up into one.
The structure is very unique and original. The book is about an elderly novelist, Dora, who is contemplating her own demise. The reader learns about Dora through reading the chapters of her latest novel, interspersed with diary entries. And then, the reader becomes privy to how how Dora's writing was influenced by her real life and how her stories revealed her inner truth.
It's not the easiest structure to contend with, but so rewarding for literary fiction lovers. There are so many insights on life, writing, and relationships woven into one short novel.
The fictional chapters written by Dora have the appeal of short stories in that they often delivered a punch, but are not neatly tied up with a bow. If you need to know every single thing that happens to a character in order to feel satisfied, you won't love this, but I prefer how Rachman let's the reader fill in some of the blanks, do some of the work.
Honestly, I just want to re-read the whole book now from the beginning, knowing what I know now at the end.
So, so good. I know this isn't for every reader, and if you need a linear storyline, this won't be for you. This was challenging in all the best ways without being actually at all hard to read. The characters are drawn with such skill.
The structure is very unique and original. The book is about an elderly novelist, Dora, who is contemplating her own demise. The reader learns about Dora through reading the chapters of her latest novel, interspersed with diary entries. And then, the reader becomes privy to how how Dora's writing was influenced by her real life and how her stories revealed her inner truth.
It's not the easiest structure to contend with, but so rewarding for literary fiction lovers. There are so many insights on life, writing, and relationships woven into one short novel.
The fictional chapters written by Dora have the appeal of short stories in that they often delivered a punch, but are not neatly tied up with a bow. If you need to know every single thing that happens to a character in order to feel satisfied, you won't love this, but I prefer how Rachman let's the reader fill in some of the blanks, do some of the work.
Honestly, I just want to re-read the whole book now from the beginning, knowing what I know now at the end.
So, so good. I know this isn't for every reader, and if you need a linear storyline, this won't be for you. This was challenging in all the best ways without being actually at all hard to read. The characters are drawn with such skill.
July 11, 2023
What a difference a decade or so makes! In 2010, Tom Rachman burst upon the literary scene with his debut novel, The Imperfectionists. It was an incandescent book of interlocking stories featuring the private lives of quirky reporters, editors, and executives. Gradually, the stories deepen and complement each other.
Tom Rachman – and all of us –have aged, and so have his characters. We are introduced on the first page to Dora Frenhofer, a Dutch-born novelist of some (but not a lot) of regard, who is becoming increasingly aware she is losing her mind. Does she have one more book within her? Can she bring it to fruition before she is unable to finish?
The resulting chapters position Dora as a sort of Scheherazade, who is weaving tales to stay alive. We know from the chapter headings that she will write about her brother, her daughter, her former lover, her last friend, and even the deliveryman who stood at her doorstep during the lock-down year of COVID.
This book, though, is marginally about the fully realized characters. It is mostly about the stories we create and how we maintain sanity when life doesn’t go our way. It’s about what we remember and what we forget and how we choose to position our personal stories. It’s about making things up and letting things go. And it has a last chapter ending that will blow your mind, and which puts everything in perspective.
The book, like The Imperfectionists, also casts a wry look at the business of writing and attempting to stay ethical in a world that’s spinning out of control. One chapter – A Writer from the Festival – is about a literary author with marginal sales who has just written a formulaic best seller. As he awaits the results of what he suspects will be a bidding war, he attends a writer’s conference. I laughed, I winced, and I ached for him. Another, about a marginalized non-white young man who had endured too much in life, is editing for a whacky company with no scruples, that spins far-out conspiracy theories. Tom Rachman expertly captures our times.
This meta-fiction book – at times wry and sardonic, at times wrenchingly poignant – was a sheer delight to read. I owe thanks to Little Brown, who sent me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Tom Rachman – and all of us –have aged, and so have his characters. We are introduced on the first page to Dora Frenhofer, a Dutch-born novelist of some (but not a lot) of regard, who is becoming increasingly aware she is losing her mind. Does she have one more book within her? Can she bring it to fruition before she is unable to finish?
The resulting chapters position Dora as a sort of Scheherazade, who is weaving tales to stay alive. We know from the chapter headings that she will write about her brother, her daughter, her former lover, her last friend, and even the deliveryman who stood at her doorstep during the lock-down year of COVID.
This book, though, is marginally about the fully realized characters. It is mostly about the stories we create and how we maintain sanity when life doesn’t go our way. It’s about what we remember and what we forget and how we choose to position our personal stories. It’s about making things up and letting things go. And it has a last chapter ending that will blow your mind, and which puts everything in perspective.
The book, like The Imperfectionists, also casts a wry look at the business of writing and attempting to stay ethical in a world that’s spinning out of control. One chapter – A Writer from the Festival – is about a literary author with marginal sales who has just written a formulaic best seller. As he awaits the results of what he suspects will be a bidding war, he attends a writer’s conference. I laughed, I winced, and I ached for him. Another, about a marginalized non-white young man who had endured too much in life, is editing for a whacky company with no scruples, that spins far-out conspiracy theories. Tom Rachman expertly captures our times.
This meta-fiction book – at times wry and sardonic, at times wrenchingly poignant – was a sheer delight to read. I owe thanks to Little Brown, who sent me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 16, 2023
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.
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.
December 26, 2022
Tom Rachman’s debut novel The Imperfectionists proved one of the best books I’ve ever read. A series of interlocking vignettes follows the reporters, editors and benefactors of a thinly veiled version of The International Herald-Tribune. In The Imposters, Rachman follows the same format with chapters of characters who interact with a B-list author based in London. Some are close to her; others are connected only tangentially. But I just couldn’t stick with it, as much as I tried. I came back to the novel again and again, but I abandoned it three-fifths of the way through. Rachman’s characters were all so self-absorbed and shallow — and not in an instructive way, either.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company in exchange for an honest review.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company in exchange for an honest review.
May 20, 2023
Dora, a less than successful novelist is reaching the end of her days. It is the time of Covid and she is alone, writing her last manuscript, consisting of stories based on both herself people who have been in her life. The tales are loosely linked and presented in The Imposters as stories within a book.
The structure of this book is a bit different and sometimes it takes a while to find the interlocking relationships in the stories. There is tragedy but also quite a lot of humor. I enjoyed the writing best when it focused on Covid times and the political climate. The poignant musings on aging and end of life were right on target.
This book won’t be for everybody. If you enjoy literate, adroit writing, you might find The Imposters of interest.
Thanks to #netgalley and #littlebrownandcompany for the arc.
The structure of this book is a bit different and sometimes it takes a while to find the interlocking relationships in the stories. There is tragedy but also quite a lot of humor. I enjoyed the writing best when it focused on Covid times and the political climate. The poignant musings on aging and end of life were right on target.
This book won’t be for everybody. If you enjoy literate, adroit writing, you might find The Imposters of interest.
Thanks to #netgalley and #littlebrownandcompany for the arc.
August 9, 2023
Dora Frenhofer is a Dutch septuagenarian novelist who finds herself alone in London during the pandemic. She wants to write one last novel, as she feels her mental acuity is declining and she feels she is no longer as sharp as she used to be. The storyline follows Dora’s efforts to write her novel, though it is more a series of short stories linked together by ties to Dora’s past experiences. People from her past appear as the protagonists of her stories, sometimes disguised with other names. In between the stories, we are privy to Dora’s journal entries. From all these pieces, the reader forms a picture of Dora’s character, what she has been through, and her regrets. Many of the stories are about writing, and they reveal her regrets. We learn about her relationships with her daughter, half-brother, former lover, and even a few strangers she has briefly encountered.
This book is a patchwork character study. Dora is painted as a full person, with strengths and flaws. She tries to be honest with herself about her failings in life. She acknowledges that her single-minded pursuit of her art has caused harm in her interpersonal relationships. Rachman’s writing style clearly conveys her fears, isolation, and loneliness. It is about writers and writing, and their role in today’s society. The reader must be willing to put the pieces together and read between the lines. There is much food for thought and it would be a great choice for a group discussion. I can also recommend Rachman’s The Italian Teacher. I enjoy his nonlinear writing style and will definitely be reading more of his work.
This book is a patchwork character study. Dora is painted as a full person, with strengths and flaws. She tries to be honest with herself about her failings in life. She acknowledges that her single-minded pursuit of her art has caused harm in her interpersonal relationships. Rachman’s writing style clearly conveys her fears, isolation, and loneliness. It is about writers and writing, and their role in today’s society. The reader must be willing to put the pieces together and read between the lines. There is much food for thought and it would be a great choice for a group discussion. I can also recommend Rachman’s The Italian Teacher. I enjoy his nonlinear writing style and will definitely be reading more of his work.
July 22, 2023
Sloan Crosby, for the NYT, identified this novel well for me. It’s “a writer writing about a writer writing about writing.”
So, is that cute, coy, cagey? Did Rachman pull it off? If it was a gimmick, he managed to turn it into a literary achievement. Rachman created vivid and contoured characters; they are all magnificent. He appointed the most amorphous of his characters, however, to play the lead protagonist. Dora Frenhofer, a Dutch novelist that achieved no lasting success, came across as indeterminate through most of the novel. But her particular story and the theme of how our stories or personal narratives get us through the day, the week, our lives, is potent. She’s in her seventies, suffering some mental decline, and wonders if she has one more book left in her to write. She's also isolated during the pandemic. I didn’t relate to her emotionally. Her flatness alienated me, her lack of spirit, vitality. She seemed dead inside, and had a one-note presence. While reading, I was often uncertain of which characters were real, and which were Dora’s creations. Was I supposed to be invested in Dora? The ending echoes with a resolve I’d not seen in Dora before, so I was curiouser and curiouser long after I finished reading! It’s a book that made me ponder.
In these various interconnected stories, Rachman didn’t have a main attraction (but Beck was my favorite), and some characters fell off the stage. Beck’s personal story expanded through off-stage remarks and flashbacks. She is Dora’s estranged daughter, has the most charisma and easy wit, plus her morality was clear and infectious. She used to be a stand-up comic but she made better money writing for others. Anything she did I was on board with, she was lucid and touchable, palpable and sharp. She had gremlins, but she was open about them. Most of these characters, including Beck, were in the business of writing, which highlighted a metafictional marvel (Rachman) writing of a metafictional writer (Dora). THE IMPOSTERS, however, has something in common with his debut, THE IMPERFECTIONISTS, á la interconnected stories about writers (they were journalists, though). Tom Rachman is certainly an adventurous pioneer; connections, missed connections, and disconnects surge throughout IMPOSTERS.
Each character generally gets their own story, which often overlaps with other stories or characters. Dora surfaces to a greater or lesser degree throughout the book. She’s fairly brittle and aloof, certainly eccentric. Maybe certifiably! Socializing with people is not a relaxing or enjoyable time for her. People are instruments or tools for Dora, as she uses them to create characters she writes. Then there’s Morgan, a character to pity. Most of us cannot identify with her, would have zero prospect of understanding the emotional suffocation of a woman who sustained that level of tragedy. But compelling! Her story was simultaneously remote and consuming. Then there’s Amir, with a dark, sad past filled with physical and psychological damage. Every character that populates this novel adds a nugget of enormity. It becomes as deep as it is jammed (with characters).
A writer named Danny meets Nousha, a poet, and realizes that her social media footprint contains more followers than the amount of books he’ll ever sell in a lifetime. She shares another writer’s line that, “Literature is lying to tell the truth about falsity.” Inwardly, Danny always thought himself the protagonist, “but he was only a character actor in a show about her.” Another lovely line reminded me of the English rock band Genesis, from the song , The Colony of Slipperman on their theme album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway—in Rachman’s book the line refers to a writer, “wandering lonely as a cloud.” You really have to be a Genesis fan to catch that!
Several characters heave about, get our attention, pause, depart. I, as reader, felt more like a witness than a bystander. It’s metafiction turned on its head, upside down, inside out. Indeed, I was gripped from start to almost-finish. Everything in my reading experience of The Imposters worked well for me except the road to ending. In the last nine or so pages I got stuck. I both did and did not want it to finish, and I saw what was coming. It concluded with a jaded bitterness that made me ask a few times who the real imposters were. My lasting impression of Rachman’s choice could be a reader’s problem (mine) but the author tidied up, even if cynicism crept in. (After all, Rachman created Tooly Zylberberg in The Rise and Fall of Great Powers, one of my most beloved female heroines).
Tom Rachman possesses a charming, sly wit, and can get into the weeds with his characters, and quickly! How does he do that? He doesn’t waste page space; every passage is measured and authentic, and he can introduce a character that readers can empathize with in a flash. Plus, stories about stories and writers never gets old to me. Another winner.
I am deeply grateful to Little, Brown and Company for sending me an ARC copy for review.
So, is that cute, coy, cagey? Did Rachman pull it off? If it was a gimmick, he managed to turn it into a literary achievement. Rachman created vivid and contoured characters; they are all magnificent. He appointed the most amorphous of his characters, however, to play the lead protagonist. Dora Frenhofer, a Dutch novelist that achieved no lasting success, came across as indeterminate through most of the novel. But her particular story and the theme of how our stories or personal narratives get us through the day, the week, our lives, is potent. She’s in her seventies, suffering some mental decline, and wonders if she has one more book left in her to write. She's also isolated during the pandemic. I didn’t relate to her emotionally. Her flatness alienated me, her lack of spirit, vitality. She seemed dead inside, and had a one-note presence. While reading, I was often uncertain of which characters were real, and which were Dora’s creations. Was I supposed to be invested in Dora? The ending echoes with a resolve I’d not seen in Dora before, so I was curiouser and curiouser long after I finished reading! It’s a book that made me ponder.
In these various interconnected stories, Rachman didn’t have a main attraction (but Beck was my favorite), and some characters fell off the stage. Beck’s personal story expanded through off-stage remarks and flashbacks. She is Dora’s estranged daughter, has the most charisma and easy wit, plus her morality was clear and infectious. She used to be a stand-up comic but she made better money writing for others. Anything she did I was on board with, she was lucid and touchable, palpable and sharp. She had gremlins, but she was open about them. Most of these characters, including Beck, were in the business of writing, which highlighted a metafictional marvel (Rachman) writing of a metafictional writer (Dora). THE IMPOSTERS, however, has something in common with his debut, THE IMPERFECTIONISTS, á la interconnected stories about writers (they were journalists, though). Tom Rachman is certainly an adventurous pioneer; connections, missed connections, and disconnects surge throughout IMPOSTERS.
Each character generally gets their own story, which often overlaps with other stories or characters. Dora surfaces to a greater or lesser degree throughout the book. She’s fairly brittle and aloof, certainly eccentric. Maybe certifiably! Socializing with people is not a relaxing or enjoyable time for her. People are instruments or tools for Dora, as she uses them to create characters she writes. Then there’s Morgan, a character to pity. Most of us cannot identify with her, would have zero prospect of understanding the emotional suffocation of a woman who sustained that level of tragedy. But compelling! Her story was simultaneously remote and consuming. Then there’s Amir, with a dark, sad past filled with physical and psychological damage. Every character that populates this novel adds a nugget of enormity. It becomes as deep as it is jammed (with characters).
A writer named Danny meets Nousha, a poet, and realizes that her social media footprint contains more followers than the amount of books he’ll ever sell in a lifetime. She shares another writer’s line that, “Literature is lying to tell the truth about falsity.” Inwardly, Danny always thought himself the protagonist, “but he was only a character actor in a show about her.” Another lovely line reminded me of the English rock band Genesis, from the song , The Colony of Slipperman on their theme album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway—in Rachman’s book the line refers to a writer, “wandering lonely as a cloud.” You really have to be a Genesis fan to catch that!
Several characters heave about, get our attention, pause, depart. I, as reader, felt more like a witness than a bystander. It’s metafiction turned on its head, upside down, inside out. Indeed, I was gripped from start to almost-finish. Everything in my reading experience of The Imposters worked well for me except the road to ending. In the last nine or so pages I got stuck. I both did and did not want it to finish, and I saw what was coming. It concluded with a jaded bitterness that made me ask a few times who the real imposters were. My lasting impression of Rachman’s choice could be a reader’s problem (mine) but the author tidied up, even if cynicism crept in. (After all, Rachman created Tooly Zylberberg in The Rise and Fall of Great Powers, one of my most beloved female heroines).
Tom Rachman possesses a charming, sly wit, and can get into the weeds with his characters, and quickly! How does he do that? He doesn’t waste page space; every passage is measured and authentic, and he can introduce a character that readers can empathize with in a flash. Plus, stories about stories and writers never gets old to me. Another winner.
I am deeply grateful to Little, Brown and Company for sending me an ARC copy for review.
April 13, 2023
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.
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.
March 12, 2023
I really enjoyed this book which was essentially short stories with characters that are recognized or loosely related to characters in other stories. We travel all around the world and meet many different personalities, in various periods of time. It was fun, interesting, and very creative. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
May 6, 2023
I received this book for free from a goodreads giveaway. This book is so disjointed and it tries to tie together but fails miserably. It feels like the author is like - look how clever I am - while standing over a tangled mess that could never go together.
Would not recommend.
Would not recommend.
July 6, 2023
I started reading, “The Imposters”, the new novel by Tom Rachman, and immediately recalled why I love his writing so much: he has such a unique and witty way with words! And his characters are so beautifully rendered; humanly flawed (delusional, privileged, depressed, angry, lazy…) so easy to relate to and/or to forgive.
“The Imposters” is a meta novel. Rachman’s protagonist, ageing writer Dora, is writing a manuscript for a novel and we are privy to the process. Each section is about someone she encounters in her life: her brother, her estranged daughter, a passing bicycle deliveryman, etc. Dora writes a section on these characters and between these are diary entries of her thoughts on her writing and on growing old and irrelevant.
If that sounds confusing it’s because *I* am not a good writer! Rachman executes this structure beautifully, and his transitions are glorious! Each section is compelling and full of surprises.
Much of the story is set during the beginning of the COVID-19 lock-down, which is such recent history (yet often seems long ago!) that it adds a rich dimension to the story. We know what the isolation was like personally, but here we get a peak at what it was like for writers, stand-up comedians, and deliverymen.
Both laugh-out-loud humorous and gut-punch heartbreaking, brimming with incandescent characters, I didn’t want it to end, and then the last chapter blew me away!
“The Imposters” is Rachman at his very best!
“The Imposters” is a meta novel. Rachman’s protagonist, ageing writer Dora, is writing a manuscript for a novel and we are privy to the process. Each section is about someone she encounters in her life: her brother, her estranged daughter, a passing bicycle deliveryman, etc. Dora writes a section on these characters and between these are diary entries of her thoughts on her writing and on growing old and irrelevant.
If that sounds confusing it’s because *I* am not a good writer! Rachman executes this structure beautifully, and his transitions are glorious! Each section is compelling and full of surprises.
Much of the story is set during the beginning of the COVID-19 lock-down, which is such recent history (yet often seems long ago!) that it adds a rich dimension to the story. We know what the isolation was like personally, but here we get a peak at what it was like for writers, stand-up comedians, and deliverymen.
Both laugh-out-loud humorous and gut-punch heartbreaking, brimming with incandescent characters, I didn’t want it to end, and then the last chapter blew me away!
“The Imposters” is Rachman at his very best!
November 21, 2022
Yay Tom Rachman! The Imperfectionists is one of my all time favorite books - a book I still think about 13 years later.!!! I could not wait to read this book did not disappoint !!!
In the Imposters, we meet Dora Frenhofer, an octogenarian writer, worried that she is losing her mind to age. She is working on a final book and we are given a front row seat to the process.
Each chapter introduces us to a new character that is tied to an existing person in Dora's life. It's easy to forget immediately, however, as Rachman builds an entirely new story. It's up to you, at the end to draw conclusions from all of the chapters and characters together at the end.
I can't recommend this incredible book enough! There is no other book like it to compare it to!
Travel to Australia, Paris, Syria and Copenhagen, meet angry, sad, strong, and struggling characters and live life as Doris (and Rachman) write it. A beautiful cornucopia of struggles. If you are searching for an amazing and unforgettable reading experience, love great literature and stories or just want to travel the world in times of Covid, The Imposters is for you! #LittleBrownandcompany
In the Imposters, we meet Dora Frenhofer, an octogenarian writer, worried that she is losing her mind to age. She is working on a final book and we are given a front row seat to the process.
Each chapter introduces us to a new character that is tied to an existing person in Dora's life. It's easy to forget immediately, however, as Rachman builds an entirely new story. It's up to you, at the end to draw conclusions from all of the chapters and characters together at the end.
I can't recommend this incredible book enough! There is no other book like it to compare it to!
Travel to Australia, Paris, Syria and Copenhagen, meet angry, sad, strong, and struggling characters and live life as Doris (and Rachman) write it. A beautiful cornucopia of struggles. If you are searching for an amazing and unforgettable reading experience, love great literature and stories or just want to travel the world in times of Covid, The Imposters is for you! #LittleBrownandcompany
July 1, 2023
I cannot go on. 65% done and no clue what is happening or why I should care.
July 29, 2024
Dora Frenhofer (73), eine Autorin mit niederländischen Wurzeln, ist lebensmüde. Ihre fortschreitende Vergesslichkeit bereitet ihr Sorge. Auf ihren Abgang bereitet sie schon vor. Doch einen allerletzten Roman möchte die zuletzt erfolglose und alleinstehende Schriftstellerin noch vor ihrem Tod schreiben…
„Die Hochstapler“ ist ein Episodenroman von Tom Rachman.
Die Struktur des Romans ist gut überschaubar, jedoch geschickt komponiert. Erzählt wird im Präsens aus wechselnden Perspektiven: zweimal aus der Sicht der Autorin, nämlich zu Beginn und am Schluss, sowie jeweils aus der von sieben weiteren Figuren. Zwischen den neun Kapiteln sind Tagebucheinträge eingefügt. Die Handlung spielt an unterschiedlichen Orten auf der Welt und in verschiedenen Jahren.
In sprachlicher Hinsicht hat mich der Roman ebenfalls überzeugt. Rachman gelingt es, unterschiedliche Erzählstimmen zu schaffen und dabei jedes Mal seine schriftstellerische Kunstfertigkeit und sprachliche Raffinesse zu beweisen.
Die Figuren sind allesamt originell, interessant, lebensnah und mit psychologischer Tiefe ausgestaltet. Neben der Protagonistin Dora sind die übrigen Hauptcharaktere mehrere Personen, denen die Autorin begegnet ist oder die mit ihr in Beziehung stehen: beispielsweise ihr verschollener Bruder Theo und ihre Tochter Beck. Mit Vergnügen habe ich die Verbindungen untereinander entdeckt.
Auf inhaltlicher Ebene geht es vor allem um das Schreiben und die Arbeit von Autoren. Wie entsteht aus Fakten Fiktion? Wie wird erzählt? Wie funktioniert der Literaturbetrieb? Welche Aufgaben haben Schriftsteller außer dem Schreiben an sich? Wie ticken solche Menschen? Mit teils zynischem, teils humorvollen Blick werden die Branche und ihre Vertreter beleuchtet. Auf vielseitige Weise illustriert die Geschichte das literarische Schaffen. Dabei wird klar: Sie alle sind Schwindler, Betrüger oder Wahrheitsverdreher, sowohl in ihrer Selbstdarstellung als auch in ihren Werken. Dieses Hauptthema greift das auffällige Cover auf. Auch aktuelle Themen und Aspekte wie die Pandemie und Diversität greift der Roman auf.
Auf den rund 400 Seiten sind die einzelnen Episoden sehr abwechslungsreich und unterhaltsam. Sie wühlen auf und schockieren, sie berühren emotional, sie überraschen, sie machen nachdenklich und geben ungewöhnliche Einblicke. Kurzum: Sie bieten all das, was gute Literatur leisten kann.
Nur ein kleines Manko weist die deutsche Ausgabe für mich auf: Die zu wörtliche Übersetzung des Originaltitels („The imposters“) ist nach meiner Ansicht nicht ganz glücklich, da es falsche Assoziationen weckt.
Mein Fazit:
Mit seinem neuen, raffinierten Roman hat Tom Rachman wieder einmal meine hohen Erwartungen erfüllt. „Die Hochstapler“ gehört nicht nur zu meinen Lieblingsromanen des aktuellen Lesejahrs, sondern auch darüber hinaus. Unbedingt lesenswert!
„Die Hochstapler“ ist ein Episodenroman von Tom Rachman.
Die Struktur des Romans ist gut überschaubar, jedoch geschickt komponiert. Erzählt wird im Präsens aus wechselnden Perspektiven: zweimal aus der Sicht der Autorin, nämlich zu Beginn und am Schluss, sowie jeweils aus der von sieben weiteren Figuren. Zwischen den neun Kapiteln sind Tagebucheinträge eingefügt. Die Handlung spielt an unterschiedlichen Orten auf der Welt und in verschiedenen Jahren.
In sprachlicher Hinsicht hat mich der Roman ebenfalls überzeugt. Rachman gelingt es, unterschiedliche Erzählstimmen zu schaffen und dabei jedes Mal seine schriftstellerische Kunstfertigkeit und sprachliche Raffinesse zu beweisen.
Die Figuren sind allesamt originell, interessant, lebensnah und mit psychologischer Tiefe ausgestaltet. Neben der Protagonistin Dora sind die übrigen Hauptcharaktere mehrere Personen, denen die Autorin begegnet ist oder die mit ihr in Beziehung stehen: beispielsweise ihr verschollener Bruder Theo und ihre Tochter Beck. Mit Vergnügen habe ich die Verbindungen untereinander entdeckt.
Auf inhaltlicher Ebene geht es vor allem um das Schreiben und die Arbeit von Autoren. Wie entsteht aus Fakten Fiktion? Wie wird erzählt? Wie funktioniert der Literaturbetrieb? Welche Aufgaben haben Schriftsteller außer dem Schreiben an sich? Wie ticken solche Menschen? Mit teils zynischem, teils humorvollen Blick werden die Branche und ihre Vertreter beleuchtet. Auf vielseitige Weise illustriert die Geschichte das literarische Schaffen. Dabei wird klar: Sie alle sind Schwindler, Betrüger oder Wahrheitsverdreher, sowohl in ihrer Selbstdarstellung als auch in ihren Werken. Dieses Hauptthema greift das auffällige Cover auf. Auch aktuelle Themen und Aspekte wie die Pandemie und Diversität greift der Roman auf.
Auf den rund 400 Seiten sind die einzelnen Episoden sehr abwechslungsreich und unterhaltsam. Sie wühlen auf und schockieren, sie berühren emotional, sie überraschen, sie machen nachdenklich und geben ungewöhnliche Einblicke. Kurzum: Sie bieten all das, was gute Literatur leisten kann.
Nur ein kleines Manko weist die deutsche Ausgabe für mich auf: Die zu wörtliche Übersetzung des Originaltitels („The imposters“) ist nach meiner Ansicht nicht ganz glücklich, da es falsche Assoziationen weckt.
Mein Fazit:
Mit seinem neuen, raffinierten Roman hat Tom Rachman wieder einmal meine hohen Erwartungen erfüllt. „Die Hochstapler“ gehört nicht nur zu meinen Lieblingsromanen des aktuellen Lesejahrs, sondern auch darüber hinaus. Unbedingt lesenswert!
July 5, 2023
Set during the pandemic and all the other issues in the world, this is Dora Frenhofer's story, as well as her stories. She's a little-known Dutch novelist, in her early 70s, trying to write what could be, will be, her last novel, writing because she's always loved to write, writing to stave off the world, a writer writing the stories within this novel and her own. Clever, acidic, though she is not one to seek pity, there is, despite the pathos and sadness, also hope and humor running through the novel, and the stories within the novel, and her life and the lives of her characters. I'm a Tom Rachman fan and this novel, like The Imperfectionists, is compelling and immersive.
Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown for the ARC.
Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown for the ARC.
December 2, 2022
Always will I take the opportunity to read a book by Tom Rachman, whose ingenious, creative plots and characters stand out in the world of memorable fiction
The Imposters did not disappoint. Dora Frenhofer, is an aging Dutch author who is concerned that her memory is slipping as she grows older. She is determined to write one last book to leave as a legacy after she is gone. It is set during the Covid lockdown where many of us were left alone with our thoughts of better or worse times ;when our very existence seemed tenuous.
Using distinct chapters, which are each stories within the story, Dora/ Mr Rachman , highlights a person who has been meaningful to her life. Ultimately they link together. As the chapters continue, eventually there is a bittersweet turning point which enables the reader to consider the love, friendships, triumphs ,mistakes and self determination that make up a person’s existence.
At times the chapters and connections require some extra thought and effort to understand. It is not light reading. Instead, this novel is intense, thought provoking and important.
Many thanks to #Netgalley and publisher #Little,Brown and Co for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
The Imposters did not disappoint. Dora Frenhofer, is an aging Dutch author who is concerned that her memory is slipping as she grows older. She is determined to write one last book to leave as a legacy after she is gone. It is set during the Covid lockdown where many of us were left alone with our thoughts of better or worse times ;when our very existence seemed tenuous.
Using distinct chapters, which are each stories within the story, Dora/ Mr Rachman , highlights a person who has been meaningful to her life. Ultimately they link together. As the chapters continue, eventually there is a bittersweet turning point which enables the reader to consider the love, friendships, triumphs ,mistakes and self determination that make up a person’s existence.
At times the chapters and connections require some extra thought and effort to understand. It is not light reading. Instead, this novel is intense, thought provoking and important.
Many thanks to #Netgalley and publisher #Little,Brown and Co for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
November 25, 2022
I would very much like to have a sit down with Tom and ask him what he intended for this book. I am just a humble reader, with a deep love of books, but I was very perplexed by this one. As the chapters kept changing themes, and tone, I must say I got a bit lost. I didn't think the transitions helped understand the story of or lack there of, and nor did I find any new characters very appealing. I appreciated the chapter on the brothers who end of in some prison, maybe in Syria, but then what happened?
The book has some good writing, and obviously the author is skilled, but maybe, just maybe he got bored himself so he wanted to change up the chapters, introduce characters to see how it feels and get the reader tied up in knots. I found myself being frustrated and could not wrap my arms about what I liked really.
I am not one to be so harsh, I know writing takes tremendous skill, but I think this book was written during Covid, let's just leave it at that.
The book has some good writing, and obviously the author is skilled, but maybe, just maybe he got bored himself so he wanted to change up the chapters, introduce characters to see how it feels and get the reader tied up in knots. I found myself being frustrated and could not wrap my arms about what I liked really.
I am not one to be so harsh, I know writing takes tremendous skill, but I think this book was written during Covid, let's just leave it at that.
April 1, 2023
I devoured The Imperfectionists and had very high hopes for Tom Rachman's latest book, The Imposters. I did see his trademark humor and ability to turn a phrase. Interlocking stories is a great literary device and one I enjoy, However, I just could not get into this book. While many of the characters are well drawn the book as a whole just seemed to wander and the individual stories suffered perhaps because they were the work of the lead character, an author with burgeoning dementia. I would have loved the book to be just about the brothers in prison. That section kept me in its grip.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown for the Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown for the Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 11, 2024
Each chapter of this book is about a different person, all connected to a central character who is a novelist and is living alone during the pandemic. The characters are complex and interesting, and every chapter deals with themes around writing and relationships in a way that I found well-executed and powerful (as I always find Rachman’s writing). I would say this is a good book but fairly bleak.
July 16, 2023
The Imposters
Dora Frenhofer was an aging author whose books were no longer appealing to publishing editors. She also faced dementia and the eventual end of her life. Over her lifetime she had alienated many who had once been friends. Her only daughter had very little contact with her.
In an effort to forestall her demise, she wrote a final book of short stories about people and incidents in her life. When Covid caused a lockdown in London where she lived, she became truly isolated.
I did not enjoy this book. I had a hard time with the mostly unlikeable characters including Dora. I also did not like the lack of connection between the stories. I was interesting in reading this book because I had enjoyed his debut novel, The Imperfectionists.
I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Dora Frenhofer was an aging author whose books were no longer appealing to publishing editors. She also faced dementia and the eventual end of her life. Over her lifetime she had alienated many who had once been friends. Her only daughter had very little contact with her.
In an effort to forestall her demise, she wrote a final book of short stories about people and incidents in her life. When Covid caused a lockdown in London where she lived, she became truly isolated.
I did not enjoy this book. I had a hard time with the mostly unlikeable characters including Dora. I also did not like the lack of connection between the stories. I was interesting in reading this book because I had enjoyed his debut novel, The Imperfectionists.
I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 26, 2023
Ok, this is basically short stories. And while I did enjoy almost all the stories and they did tie together, it took me forever to read because after I finished one story, it was hard to jump into the next one.
July 23, 2023
This was a challenging read. The method of mixing what was real and what Dora had written was tricky. At the end of the day, it was a sad tale of unhappy people "written" by an unfeeling woman.
June 2, 2023
3 stars in that it could tip either way and I'm really not sure. Which is a shame because I feel like this book has an "it" quality and will absolutely hit with the right audience. There were elements I really loved about it. The premise was very unique, and some of the stories were really quite good. But at the same time *because of* that unique premise everything felt disjointed and unrelated, despite the fact that they were related, or at least supposed to be.
It also could be the narrator of this book that made it a "bad" experience for me. It becomes grating when a narrator makes the female side-characters sound like cartoon babies when trying to differentiate their voice from the voice of the main female character. Had I read a physical copy I may have had a different experience, but overall I am just middle of the road for now.
It also could be the narrator of this book that made it a "bad" experience for me. It becomes grating when a narrator makes the female side-characters sound like cartoon babies when trying to differentiate their voice from the voice of the main female character. Had I read a physical copy I may have had a different experience, but overall I am just middle of the road for now.
November 29, 2022
This is one of those fascinating books that you think is confusing at the beginning but becomes clear as you read further and discover that each of the "characters" is a persona in the protagonist's aging mind. I got wrapped up in each of them and it was great to amuse myself at the end figuring out how each related to her. I have heard of Rachman before but not read his other so now I must!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
January 4, 2023
Like a set of nesting dolls the characters in "The Imposters" are revealed one at a time, each with their own story but tied together by one character, Dora Frenhofer. Dora is an aging novelist, not very well known, but in her later years trying to squeeze out that one last novel. Each story told is tied to her life in some way. For readers who love character development and character based novels this on should definitely be on your TBR list.
#TheImposters#NetGalley#LittleBrown
#TheImposters#NetGalley#LittleBrown
July 10, 2024
The three things I particularly enjoyed about this book are:
- its structure. I loved how the stand-alone chapters were stories in themselves yet you would recognize characters from other chapters. That each chapter closed with a “diary entry” kept Nora’s voice and story separate from the stories she created. I also enjoyed that the closing of each diary entry lead directly - verbatim - into the next chapter and story. I admired how the author strung al the elements together.
- the depth and variety of characters. I found the author good at putting into words feelings and thoughts that are hard to express - either from not knowing how or not feeling one should. The characters were recognizable but not overdone. And they didn’t necessarily grow. They were presented a bit like a still life, a sculpture - like the ones that change shape as you walk around them, only revealing what they are “supposed to be” from one vantage point. Walking around it makes you appreciate what went into it, thereby appreciating the final result more. That the characters were from all walks of life and from all over the planet brought a richness that isn’t often found in a single volume.
- the audiobook narrator. Her use of accents was admirable and brought the characters to life. It also made it easy to distinguish the book’s narrator from the novelist herself.
This book left me with lots to think about.
- its structure. I loved how the stand-alone chapters were stories in themselves yet you would recognize characters from other chapters. That each chapter closed with a “diary entry” kept Nora’s voice and story separate from the stories she created. I also enjoyed that the closing of each diary entry lead directly - verbatim - into the next chapter and story. I admired how the author strung al the elements together.
- the depth and variety of characters. I found the author good at putting into words feelings and thoughts that are hard to express - either from not knowing how or not feeling one should. The characters were recognizable but not overdone. And they didn’t necessarily grow. They were presented a bit like a still life, a sculpture - like the ones that change shape as you walk around them, only revealing what they are “supposed to be” from one vantage point. Walking around it makes you appreciate what went into it, thereby appreciating the final result more. That the characters were from all walks of life and from all over the planet brought a richness that isn’t often found in a single volume.
- the audiobook narrator. Her use of accents was admirable and brought the characters to life. It also made it easy to distinguish the book’s narrator from the novelist herself.
This book left me with lots to think about.
July 6, 2023
This was unexpected. This approach to storytelling, if shared in advance of taking the plunge, would have put me off. In other words, I wouldn’t say that I am big fan of meta-fiction. However, Tom Rachman’s The Imposters was enjoyable, clever, and suitably culturally reflective to hold my attention and pull me along. I would certainly read more about some of his many characters and plots if they were offered in a fuller form. After all, the same thing, the “many,” disrupted my engagement. I would prefer not to jump as much, I would prefer to explore some of these tortured souls, these interesting individuals.
August 20, 2025
I’ve been reading physical books more lately. Probably a half-dozen books this summer. This is the first one that has touched me.
It took most of the book for me to like it. I find the style of novel that is choppy, with overlapping narratives and characters hard to follow. Not sure if that’s because I’m out of practice, or because of getting older. In the end, Dora finally showed herself to be the protagonist. I liked her.
Dora made me think about my mum. Reminded me that I’m grateful she didn’t have to live through COVID lockdowns. (She would have complied with all mandates and protocols, but her increasing anxieties and emerging dementia would have made her life scary and lonely. )
This is a quiet book about lonely people, from different walks of life, whose lives inter-connect. And it’s about Dora, fiercely independent, with memories and regrets, holding agency over her life.
It took most of the book for me to like it. I find the style of novel that is choppy, with overlapping narratives and characters hard to follow. Not sure if that’s because I’m out of practice, or because of getting older. In the end, Dora finally showed herself to be the protagonist. I liked her.
Dora made me think about my mum. Reminded me that I’m grateful she didn’t have to live through COVID lockdowns. (She would have complied with all mandates and protocols, but her increasing anxieties and emerging dementia would have made her life scary and lonely. )
This is a quiet book about lonely people, from different walks of life, whose lives inter-connect. And it’s about Dora, fiercely independent, with memories and regrets, holding agency over her life.
January 7, 2024
An interesting fiction novel where an aging author, Dora, crafts extensive stories of various individuals making various levels of appearance in her life. Reads similar to short stories but occasionally come together in unexpected ways. Many stories emphasize the craziness that was 2020 and how that impacted various characters and their lives, just like it did most of us back then when nobody knew what was going on or what May come next.
May 20, 2025
"The Imposters" is an intriguing and non-linear, semi-biography about an author expanding on the lives of people she knew to explain and question her writing career. The back stories she weaves for each of her characters are fascinating, and sometimes these characters meet variant forms of each other in the different stories. It is highly questionable which stories are true, but somehow they fit with each other and reveal the inner world of a lonely, cantankerous, lifelong writer.
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