E. Lockhart certainly has a way with words. Her books incite heated debate over whether she is a literary genius or confusing, melodramatic and over the top. She is not a conventional writer by any means. Lockhart does not conform to the conventions of typical Young Adult fiction and she certainly doesn’t hold back in her writing. Genuine Fraud is no exception to this.
Told in a reverse chronological style, Genuine Fraud is the story of two girls whose paths intertwine in dark and unexpected ways. Imogen is wealthy, an orphan and popular. She is the girl we’ve all been friends with at some point. The one in high school that made you feel unique and special. The one that made you feel needed and loved when no one else did. The one whose friendship was always based on what you could offer at any given point. Jule is the other girl. She is the one that lives another life. The one that pretends she is something she’s not to impress. She creates unbelievable and crazy stories and tells it as the truth. Both are liars. Both are complicated. Both wind up in twisted situations because of it.
It is easy to imagine the existence of two girls like Imogen and Jule, which is what makes Genuine Fraud so compelling. They both use stories to justify the sadness in their worlds, a behaviour that we are all guilty of at some point. Lockhart has a unique talent for drawing from this and the world we live in to create bizarre and realistic plotlines. She is unafraid to explore plot points that simultaneously make you question, ‘How can a person like this exist?’ and answer ‘Yes, I know someone like that’. Genuine Fraud doesn’t present the version of what people think young girls are like, it presents their reality in an extreme, dark and twisted way. It is on par with gutsy movies like Heathers and realistic dramedies like Mean Girls.
It is part thriller and part coming of age. Fans of books such as Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will enjoy this toned-down mystery that heavily features complicated and realistic women of all ages. Women are the core of Genuine Fraud, which Lockhart does not shy away from. She demonstrates how characters can embrace femininity whilst simultaneously being unconventional and badass. Imogen and Jule are two truly unique characters that do not shy away from the brutality of life and womanhood.
At times, the reverse chronological method of story-telling was a little confusing. It was unclear what information happened and when. Additionally, Lockhart’s use of an unreliable narrator meant I found myself rereading sections of the book to clarify the timeline and confirm what was true and what was not. There’s probably not much to be done to solve this problem except pay more attention to dates and times.
Ultimately, Genuine Fraud is gutsy, compelling, bizarre and a reflection and critique of the realities of being a young woman. Fans of Lockhart’s other works are sure to enjoy this mystery. It is more of her poetic writing and her fantastic in-depth and complex world building. Be sure to check it out.
4/5 Stars
Share this:
