These 10 New Books By Black Women Have Us Hyped For The Fall

The Fraud by Zadie Smith – Release Date: Sept. 5

Set in 1873, Zadie Smith’s periodic novel The Fraud, follows the story of Mrs. Eliza Touchet, a Scottish housekeeper with blood ties to the revered English novelist, William Ainsworth. 

She’s a skeptic and never takes anything at face value. Ironically, Touchet shares some similarities with Andrew Bogle, a worker who grew up enslaved on the Hope Plantation in Jamaica. He knows very well how cruel the world can be and is aware of the great lengths that some people will go to take hold of wealth, greed and fame. 

After moving to London, Mr. Bogle becomes one of the star witnesses of the “Tichborne Trial,” a popular case that involves an Australian butcher’s fight to inherit a sizable estate and title in England. 

Sir Roger Tichborne plays the part, but his testimony quickly blurs the line between fiction and reality. Mrs. Touchet and Mr. Bogle became enthralled with the excitement and the intensity of the case, leaving them and all of England to speculate if Mr. Tichborne is telling the truth or if he’s a complete fraud.