A book within a book, A Big Enough Lie follows the failed writer John Townley, who decides to add his voice to the Iraq War memoir genre. The problem is: he’s neither served nor even been to Iraq. Just when Townley is about to be exposed, a la James Frey, his would-be accuser goes along with his story. The fast moving, madcap plot hides deeper questions about art, verisimilitude, and our contemporary culture. A Big Enough Lie is an unflinching look at memoir and memory, and how we use our experiences, and those of others, to construct our identities.