The Authenticity Project: The feel-good novel you need right now

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The People on Platform 5 is Clare's second novel, inspired by her fascination with inventing stories about her fellow passengers on her commute to work. Each of their words, trigger an action by the next person who reads them, eventually connecting all of the characters to one another. Now includes an exclusive extract of Clare Pooley's new and brilliantly uplifting novel The People On Platform 5 - available now

Described by Sophie Kinsella as 'a clever, uplifting book that entertains and makes you think’, The Authenticity Project is perfect for book clubs. So The Authenticity Project, what is it? Well, Julian is an elderly man who has kept to himself for a very long time. He thinks people aren't honest with one another so he decides to write the truth about himself in a green notebook and he leaves it in a local cafe for someone to find. The owner of the cafe, Monica, comes across the notebook and decides to write about some of the things she is most vulnerable about in her life and then she leaves the notebook in a bar so another person can have their chance to spill their guts. And eventually some of the people who have written in the notebook get a chance to meet, and you'll just have to read the book to find out what happens next. But what annoyed me the most was the ridiculousness of the situations, everything was so unbelievable to the point it was plain stupid.Social media proves that many people like to share their lives and inner thoughts, authentic or not. However, it’s either for family and friends, or, with the exception of celebs, shared relatively anonymously. No one would write what these people write and then leave it so near to home, when strangers could identify them. These are some of the words written on the inside of the green notebook titled The Authenticity Project. Julian, a lonely 79-year old man started the project by writing his truths in the notebook and passing it on by leaving it a cafe. The finders of the notebook are invited to write their own truths in it and pass it on. A green notebook, entitled “The Authenticity Project” is left at Monica’s cafe for someone to find.. Everyone lies about their lives. What would happen if you shared the truth instead? The one thing that defines you, that makes everything else about you fall into place." Clare Pooley graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge and spent twenty years in the heady world of advertising.

Clare’s second novel - The People on Platform 5 (titled Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting in the USA/Canada) is published in Spring 2022. Riley is the only character in the novel who doesn’t have an obvious fatal flaw. Does this make him more loveable, or less? How does Riley act as a touchstone for the other characters? Let me just throw this one out at you.. and then you decide whether this is a book you would like to read... Insightful, timely, and utterly addictive, The Authenticity Project illuminates the importance of discovering – and honoring – our truest, most imperfect selves.”I expected a juice bar/coffee shop rather than Heston Blumenthal's molecular gastronomy, but I ended up with soggy fluorescent candyfloss. iPhones were the worst, with at least six gratuitous and unidiomatic mentions. My phone happens to be an iPhone, but like every Brit I know, I just refer to my “phone” or my “mobile”, regardless of brand (unless specifically making comparisons). Other product placement broke the flow, either because it didn’t ring true (Insta woman and After Eights) or because it was unnecessary (a list of six well-known relationship books, where one or two would make the point). I don't have many books that I couldn't finish, but there have been a few. This one now rests among their number.

The Authenticity Project follows the lives of 6 people, who have all expressed the deepest truths in a textbook that they have found. They come together from their different lives, to form friendships and bonds to last a lifetime. Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren't really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes--in a plain, green journal--the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It's run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves--and soon find each other in real life at Monica's café. The book’s title is that of Julian’s notebook. He writes that he’s old and lonely, and wants neighbours to know and understand each other. He pens a bit about himself, suggests others do the same, stressing the need for unvarnished honesty, and leaves it for someone to find. I really enjoyed the artistic elements of painting, clothing descriptions and music references. I truly could imagine Julian in my mind in outrageous outfits!Perhaps nothing. Or, maybe telling that story would change your life, or the life of someone you’ve not yet met. cozy καφέ της Μόνικα, μια ομάδα αγνώστων μεταξύ τους ενώνονται με αφορμή ένα πράσινο τετράδιο. Ο Τζούλιαν Τζεσόπ, ένας μοναχικός και εκκεντρικός γέρος αποζητά μια σανίδα σωτηρίας που θα τον σώσει από τη θάλασσα της μοναξιάς. Ξεκινώντας ένα πείραμα αυθεντικότητας, καταγράφοντας την αλήθεια του σε αυτό το τετράδιο, καλεί τον επόμενο κάτοχο του να πράξει το ίδιο, ώστε να έρθουν όλοι αντιμέτωποι με αυτό που κρύβουν πολύ βαθιά: την πραγματικότητα. Στην πορεία όμως ό,τι πίστευαν πως ίσχυε για τους εαυτούς τους, αλλάζει, χάρις ενός παράγοντα που κάθε άνθρωπος αποζητά: τη συντροφικότητα.