The Soul Thief

National Book Award finalist Charles Baxter earns sweeping critical acclaim for his fiction, which is favorably compared to that of Anton Chekhov and William Trevor.

In this compelling novel, graduate student Nathaniel Mason's life changes dramatically when he meets the unusual yet intriguing Jerome Coolberg at a party. Soon, Jerome seems to have appropriated Nathaniel's life, telling personal stories as though they are from his own experiences.

vanity

imagine merging doppelganger mythology with a Philip Roth novel. If that's your kick, this is your book. I found its forced attempt to be introspective and philosophical to be rather vain and drab.

mediocre at best

Got off to a good start interesting due to the fact I'm a native of Western New York but then got very weird and "wordy". it dragged on... but I would not recommend it.