Forgery
In the summer of 1963, American Rupert Brigg travels to Athens to collect classical pieces for his Uncle William’s art collection. Rupert’s first discovery, however, is that Athens is a shadowy place that hides a tangle of political subterfuge, duplicitous women, and fork-tongued diplomacy—a city of replicas and composites that calls to question what is real and what is false. As Rupert hunts for his treasure, he finds himself on the secluded island of Aspros, one of a circle of artists and aristocrats who show him that he’s not the only one with secrets. For as beautiful as Rupert’s discoveries are, beneath the surface lurk rumors of insurrection,
fabrication, and even murder.
"A deeply complex, emotionally and intellectually rewarding novel about the lengths people can go to, to make themselves into the people they wish they were."—Booklist (starred review)
"Stylish...Fascinating."—The Seattle Times
"Scenes on the lush Greek islands reverberate with some of [Murray's] most evocative writing."—Chicago Tribune
"An enticing, slyly entertaining novel."—Terry Hong, Bloomsbury Review
“Contagiously suspenseful…. The deeper Rupert digs into the things, the smaller and more introspective Forgery’s focus becomes, finally yielding beneath its busy façade a miniaturist portrait of how grief looks, smells, tastes, and in the end, conceals itself beneath the surface of things.” —Jennifer Gerson, Elle
“Murray’s narrative refuses to depict overwhelming mourning but shows its effects in quiet, biting ways…. With just a few words Murray conjures images that stay with the reader for days.” —Library Journal
“Subtle, sophisticated, and deceptively smooth, Forgery breaks through our artful surfaces to examine what lies beneath.” —Andrea Barrett, author of Ship Fever and Voyage of the Narwhal
“Sabina Murray writes with such a rich palette that the tale she tells is both delicate and cunning; both ominous and sexy; satiric yet profoundly tender, too. She renders perfectly the chiaroscuro of Greece, of its culture as well as its landscape, and brings together a disarming cast of characters from whom I was very sorry to part. Forgery is the genuine article: a novel well worth reading.” —Julia Glass, author of Three Junes and The Whole World Over
“This novel is itself happily on the light and shiny side—people are gorgeous, jokes are quick, drinks flow freely and the plot moves trippingly along. And what, it asks, is wrong with that?” —Rebecca Markovitz, Austin American-Statesman
“Forgery is as flavorsome as a summer month in the Greek isles.” —Richard Lipez, Washington Post
“With assurance and style, Murray plumbs issues of identity and provenance. She plays with notions of deceit and of rebellion on levels ranging from personal to political.” —Barbara Lloyd McMichael, Seattle Times
“Forgery begins as a travelogue, becomes a bildungsroman and a murder mystery and, finally, melds all three genres together into a seamless whole. The result is a novel which draws heavily from past literature, current circumstance and a strong dose of the author’s imagination and unique voice.” —Adam Goldwyn, Smallspiralnotebook.com
“A haunting, sexy, and very smart novel.” —Joanne Sasvari, Canada.com
“Complex, intelligent and rewarding.” —Luisa A. Igloria, Virginian-Pilot