Saturday, March 03, 2007
User I.D.
I've finished reading the book "User I.D." by Jenefer Shute. The plot revolves around identity theft. The author alternates chapters between Vera, who has had her identity stolen, and Charlene, the identity thief. There are lots of great details about identity theft and how to deal with it woven throughout the story. Jenefer Shute also covers the existential angst felt by both women in relation to the fluidity of identity in the digital age. She makes Charlene a sympathetic character, despite her illegal activities. I wish she had bolstered Vera's character more. By the end of the book, I felt like slapping Vera for her whiny, limp-wristed attitude. There was one other thing about the book that set me on edge. Periodically, it seemed that the author played a bit heavy with the description. It wasn't enough to make me stop reading, but it subtly hit me that some of the details were overdone. Because I picked up on this, I wondered if I do the same thing in my fiction writing. I'll have to check to be sure. Precision excision is the solution.
Labels: books, editing, identity, identity theft, jenefer shute, story, technology
