The Fabulist

Stephen Glass
Simon & Schuster

Stephen Glass tells the tale of his own shattered life in his book, The Fabulist. The novel focuses on his personal life after regressing from a rising journalist at The New Republic, an edgy weekly magazine out of Washington, D.C., to a rightly fired journalistic-poser, who fabricated stories among other things in his life.

Glass changes names and other details from his real life in order to write freely about people and situations that surrounded him both before and after his firing, which marked a significant shift in both his life and the journalism industry. And while Glass warns the reader, one can't help but wonder: how much of what he's saying, feeling and concluding is genuine?

Still ÷ fact, fiction or most accurately, an effective mˇlange of both ÷ Glass struggles with very real issues. Separated into six parts, named for a mental stage in his life, Glass (seemingly) candidly pours out his complicated thoughts on issues about lying, relationships, pleasing others, family, self-esteem and religious identity. Whether or not he really did grapple with these things no one will really ever know.

The Fabulist teaches a lesson either way, though: learning who you are can be a tumultuous journey. Some people struggle more than others ÷ and more publicly. The Fabulist can be an outlet to share in someone else's search for identity and self-understanding, or an opportunity to sneak a peek into the famously fired Stephen Glass who, as he feared, perpetuated the public's growing mistrust in journalists.

The 339 pages read easily. Glass writes in a clear, concise manner that can be traced back to his journalistic roots, a style that focuses on keeping the reader attentively engaged.

The verdict: Give it a read. Sick of your own drama? Escape from your soap opera and join Glass in figuring out his. If summer's brought you vacation from social and personal ups and downs, liven it up with The Fabulist. At least that way when you're ready for peace and quiet, you can close the book. Glass wishes he were so lucky.

Rating: Eat it up. It's as juicy as a The National Enquirer with the style, panache, and credibility of, well, the The National Enquirer.