The Drama Teacher by Koren Zailckas

"It's good to possess a sense of truth but you also need to have a sense of lies." - Konstantin Stanislavski, An Actor's Work. This is the opening quote in this novel, and from this point on in the book it is hard to tell what is the truth, and what are lies. Skillfully written, this novel will keep you wondering what is real and what is made up. The main character Gracie is a seasoned con artist, and it is both fascinating and frightening to watch her work. Fascinating because she is quite clever, and frightening because it is then you realize that people in the world actually craft ways to cheat people, and we need to be way more careful about what information we are giving out. Gracie is a mother of two young children and it's interesting to watch how she uses the tricks and scams she'd been taught (by her father no less) to maintain a decent lifestyle for her little family, all while trying to keep people from knowing who she really is. This novel is a study in dysfunctional family dynamics and when things start to unravel, which they always do, we get to follow along, always wondering how it will end. This novel gives you great psychological insight into the mind of a true con artist! A great read!