First published 2011
Arthur Phillips grows up in a house built on illusion. His father spins elaborate cons while professing devotion to Shakespeare, and Arthur becomes a writer hoping to win approval from both his father and twin sister. When his imprisoned father nears death, he presents Arthur with an astonishing gift: a complete, previously unknown Shakespeare play called The Tragedy of Arthur. The manuscript appears authentic, and Arthur's father wants it published as the Bard's final masterwork. But Arthur knows his father's history of deception. He faces an impossible choice between honoring his father's dying wish and protecting the literary world from what might be the ultimate fraud. The novel includes the complete five-act play, blurring the lines between Arthur Phillips the character and Arthur Phillips the real author. As Arthur wrestles with questions of authenticity and family loyalty, the stories of the modern Arthur and the legendary King Arthur begin to mirror each other in unexpected ways.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century, books-about-books, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Period: 21st-century
368 pages · Hardcover · Random House