Being brutally honest about oneself is rarely easy, but that is the requirement in The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley. Monica owns a struggling cafe in London and when she finds a small notebook left behind on one of her tables, she opens it to determine the owner. What she finds is a journal entry outlining the Authenticity Project: write your story, be completely honest, then leave it for the next person. The eclectic group of people who end up adding to the notebook are fantastic. We have an elderly artist, a mommy blogger, a gorgeous traveler, a tired nanny, and a few others thrown in for fun.
Would you do it? Would you write out your truest story of yourself and then pass it on for someone else to read? Some people do it every day on social media. Some people are anonymous about it and others stand smack in the middle of the spotlight and never fear the opinions of others. Then the question is: who reads it? Total strangers who will never know you in real life are very different than the neighbor who lives down the street.
I really liked this book. The characters were flawed, but aren't we all? There was love and kindness and a sense of community I crave, especially in these times of social distance. I know some people struggle with a book with multiple points of view, but I think this one is handled well and the voices are distinct enough that it isn't difficult to keep up with the narrators. I hope you like it!
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