A review by barrettcmyk
The Imposter: A True Story by Javier Cercas, Frank Wynne
This is the true story of Enric Marco. Head of an organization dedicated to preserving the memory of Spanish survivors of the Nazi concentration camps, Marco has toured the world talking about his life in captivity.
Only problem is, Marco was never in any concentration camp. After decades, his story was revealed to be complete fabrication.
Regrettably, this wasn't nearly as interesting as I (or the rest of my book club) had hoped. This particular book isn't the actual exposé on Marco, but more the chronicle of a man trying to understand why one of his national heroes would do such a thing. The book then is a winding assembly of why Cercas wanted to write the book, his interviews with Marco, his research, and his thoughts throughout. Personally I think it would've made for an excellent long form journalism piece...but perhaps if you're really into history or true crime, this will churn your butter.
Only problem is, Marco was never in any concentration camp. After decades, his story was revealed to be complete fabrication.
Regrettably, this wasn't nearly as interesting as I (or the rest of my book club) had hoped. This particular book isn't the actual exposé on Marco, but more the chronicle of a man trying to understand why one of his national heroes would do such a thing. The book then is a winding assembly of why Cercas wanted to write the book, his interviews with Marco, his research, and his thoughts throughout. Personally I think it would've made for an excellent long form journalism piece...but perhaps if you're really into history or true crime, this will churn your butter.