The Counterfeiters

André Gide’s only book that he called a novel follows a web of Parisian families, schoolboys, and writers whose lives cross in unexpected ways. At its center is Édouard, a novelist keeping a journal about a novel he means to write, also titled The Counterfeiters, so that the book seems to watch itself being made. Around him move restless adolescents, a ring of boys passing counterfeit coins, quiet betrayals, and the slow discovery of who each person really is beneath the pose. Gide turns the fake gold into a mirror for false feelings, borrowed ideas, and hollow morality. First published in French in 1925, it remains a cornerstone of modern fiction. This free PDF and EPUB edition carries the English translation by Dorothy Bussy.