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A review by han_cat
The Hoax by Clifford Irving
2.0
Well I read it, more as a stubborn act of perseverance than enjoyment though. I found it highly weird to read a book about a book that isn’t really a book! A good 4/5 of the book goes into intricate details of the fake meetings with Hughes, this felt a bit weird considering you know from the outset it isn’t real. Basically it felt like a waste of time rather than an enjoyable journey into flight of fancy.
Really what I had expected to get out of this was why he did it, but there was no substantial explanation offered. He obviously is highly egotistical and his supposed shame and guilt (when they finally arrive!) seemed very forced. Almost as though he were trying to imagine and write what he thought he should have felt.
In actual fact I may have liked this book a little more if I hadn’t read the Q&A section at the end (ahead of the movie release), he came across as extremely arrogant and I felt thoroughly annoyed with someone who seems to live totally outside normal behaviour with very few consequences.
Really what I had expected to get out of this was why he did it, but there was no substantial explanation offered. He obviously is highly egotistical and his supposed shame and guilt (when they finally arrive!) seemed very forced. Almost as though he were trying to imagine and write what he thought he should have felt.
In actual fact I may have liked this book a little more if I hadn’t read the Q&A section at the end (ahead of the movie release), he came across as extremely arrogant and I felt thoroughly annoyed with someone who seems to live totally outside normal behaviour with very few consequences.