First Person

Liberation. Tell me the “real” story. Writers choose fiction, non-fiction or creative non-fiction, and readers judge stories no matter how they are categorized. Inspired, perhaps, by an episode in his own life when he was asked to ghostwrite the autobiography of Australian con man, John Friedrich, Richard Flanagan has written a novel titled, First Person. Protagonist Kif Kehlmann is sorely in need of funds when he is asked to ghostwrite the autobiography of Ziggy Heidl, who is about to head to jail for defrauding banks. The deadline is to complete the project in six weeks. Kif can’t get Ziggy to keep a story straight and fears the project won’t be completed. The writing flows once Kif understands that he can make it all up. Flanagan writes with great skill and structures the novel with inflection points that propel Kif’s liberation. Readers who enjoy literary fiction are those most likely to appreciate this novel. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase First Person from amazon.com.