First published 2219
Sir Jack Pitman isn't interested in half measures. When he decides to recreate England—every landmark, character, and cultural moment—on the Isle of Wight, he builds more than a tourist attraction. He builds a perfect replica so precise it threatens to replace the original nation. As "The Project" becomes increasingly successful, the boundaries between authentic history and manufactured experience begin to blur. Tourists flood in. The real England grows pale and forgotten. But simulacra have their own dangerous logic, and Pitman's grand vision starts to spin beyond anyone's control. What happens when a copy becomes more vivid and compelling than the original?
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, 21st-century, alternate-history
Vibes: satirical, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: satire, unreliable-narrator
Setting: England, Isle of Wight
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
275 pages · Hardcover · Knopf