A Version of the Truth by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack

A Version of the Truth is a well-written novel that asks how far would you go to recreate yourself. Cassie Shaw lies on her application form for a university office job. She is newly widowed from a man who has verbally abused her and with a childhood that left her unsure and unqualified due to her learning disabilities. But Cassie is not dumb, and she begins to aspire to greater things. Readers will have a lot of sympathy for this character, and despite the lies that eventually trip her up, will be rooting for her success. Three male characters highlight different aspects of Cassie's development, Frank, the loser husband, Freddy, the rich and spoilt lover, and Connor, the professor. Cassie's nature loving mom, Alison, Freddy's superficial sister, and Cassie's friend Tiff make up the main female characters. Added to this mix are a bird called Sam, some ivory-billed woodpeckers that may or may not exist, and Black Dog. The nature elements of the novel are intriguing and often humorous, as Cassie's mom insists she has seen BigFoot. For Cassie she can be true to herself in a natural environment, where no one judges or makes demands.

The Abingdon Book Group liked this book and would like to go back and read the first novel by these authors, Literacy and Longing in L.A.

Book discussion questions can be found at www.aversionofthetruth.com/guide.htm

From Publishers Weekly
Cassie Shaw, the 30-year-old dyslexic high school dropout narrator of Kaufman and Mack's follow-up to Literacy and Longing in L.A., is devoid of self-esteem and, as the winsome novel opens, has just been widowed by a jerk who left her nothing but debt. Desperate for a job, Cassie fudges her education background on a job application and snags an entry-level university office job working under William Conner, a charismatic professor of animal behavior who ignites Cassie's desire for learning—and other things. As Cassie's lust for knowledge swells and she becomes more involved with Conner, the list of her deceptions lengthens, and it's only a matter of time until budding beau Conner finds out. Kaufman and Mack lace the narrative with light humor (the rats in California's Topanga Canyon are like roaches in NY or liars in LA) and nods to Emerson, Whitman, Thoreau, Plato and Keats. Delightfully merging humor, philosophy and reflections on nature, this novel is a lot of fun and might give some readers freshman-year flashbacks.
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A Version of the Truth is the second novel by this writing couple. Their first book was Literacy and Longing in L.A. that spent 15 weeks on the L.A. Times Best Seller List. Both authors have a slew of credits to their names. Karen Mack has produced award winning TV shows & films, and Jennifer Kaufman has been a writer, bureau chief & reporter. At one point in her career she worked for the Baltimore News American & The Prince George's County Sentinel in Bethesda Maryland. To read more about these ladies careers, go to www.aversionofthetruth.com/biography.htm