Fake Like Me

CAREY LOGAN

She was the genius wild child of the New York art scene, and my idol.

FAKE

I was a no-name painter from the Florida backwater, clawing my way into their world.

LIKE

When she died, she left a space that couldn't be filled. Except, maybe, by

ME

Everything that gets created destroys something else.

When a fire rips through her studio and burns the seven enormous paintings for her next exhibition, a young, no-name painter is left with an impossible task: recreate her art in just three months - or ruin her fledgling career. Thirty-four, single and homeless, she desperately secures a place at an exclusive upstate retreat.

Brimming with creative history and set on a sparkling black lake, Pine City and its founders - a notorious collective of successful artists - is what she's idolized all her life. She's dreamt of the parties, the celebrities, the privilege. What she finds is a ghost of its former self.

The recent suicide of founding member Carey Logan haunts everyone, lurking beneath the surface like a shipwreck. And one thought begins to shadow her every move - what really happened to her hero?

With a flair for sensational detail and acidic wit, Barbara Bourland delivers a darkly satirical thriller about art, money and identity with a twist so sharp it cuts.

“A ridiculously propulsive page turner. Barbara Bourland has written a 'du Maurier-esque' literary thriller about sexual jealousy and artistic legacy, a gorgeously scathing critique of the New York art scene, and a warning about the deadly consequences of stifling female expression. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.”

A ridiculously propulsive page turner. Barbara Bourland has written a 'du Maurier-esque' literary thriller about sexual jealousy and artistic legacy, a gorgeously scathing critique of the New York art scene, and a warning about the deadly consequences of stifling female expression. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. - Lisa Gabriele, author of The Winters

I love FAKE LIKE ME! It's the perfect smart-thriller paradox: you'll be driven to finish the twisting plot, but you will not want the narrator's insightful observations to end. Drop everything to follow Bourland's brilliant young painter to Pine City, the upstate artist colony with its crumbling camp buildings and secret histories. You will not see the art world - or a woman's place in it - the same way again. - Maria Hummel, author of Still Lives

With her trademark flair and razor-sharp attention to detail, Barbara Bourland offers the reader an incisive exploration of the tension between the desire to make art and the desire to make money. Fake Like Me is satirical, brilliantly realised, and has a twist you simply won't see coming - Louise O'Neill, bestselling author of Asking For It

In Bourland's decadent twist on the classic campus novel, a group of struggling artists succeed beyond their wildest dreams, but at what cost? Gloriously mordant, and just the right amount of rococo, you have to start your summer with this glittering new read. - Courtney Maum, author of I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You

A satirical take on the contemporary art scene--smart, witty and eye-opening. This gripping tale throws back the curtain on a world of secrets and intrigue - Liv Constantine, author of The Last Mrs Parrish

Biting, funny and brilliantly subversive - Louise O'Neill, on I'll Eat When I'm Dead

Gripping, razor-sharp pageturner - Irish Independent, on I'll Eat When I'm Dead

Compulsively readable, satirical romp with a sharp and vicious twist - K. J. Howe, on I'll Eat When I'm Dead

Barbara Bourland is the author of the critically acclaimed I'll Eat When I'm Dead, a Refinery29 Best Book of 2017 and an Irish Independent Book of the Year, published in the US, UK and Israel. A former freelance writer and web producer for titles at Conde Nast and Hearst, she now lives in Baltimore with her husband and their dogs. Fake Like Me is her second novel.

CAREY LOGAN She was the genius wild child of the New York art scene, and my idol. FAKE I was a no-name painter from the Florida backwater, clawing my way into their world. LIKE When she died, she left a space that couldn't be filled. Except, maybe, by ME Everything that gets created destroys something else. When a fire rips through her studio and burns the seven enormous paintings for her next exhibition, a young, no-name painter is left with an impossible task: recreate her art in just three months - or ruin her fledgling career. Thirty-four, single and homeless, she desperately secures a place at an exclusive upstate retreat. Brimming with creative history and set on a sparkling black lake, Pine City and its founders - a notorious collective of successful artists - is what she's idolized all her life. She's dreamt of the parties, the celebrities, the privilege. What she finds is a ghost of its former self.The recent suicide of founding member Carey Logan haunts everyone, lurking beneath the surface like a shipwreck. And one thought begins to shadow her every move - what really happened to her hero?With a flair for sensational detail and acidic wit, Barbara Bourland delivers a darkly satirical thriller about art, money and identity with a twist so sharp it cuts.

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