The Authenticity Project

Alice is struggling to take care of Bunty, who keeps her awake through the night. Alice wonders if “other mothers spend their whole time imagining the various ways in which they might accidentally kill their own babies” (249). Alice misses her old high-profile job. Bunty falls out of her highchair, frightening Alice. Lizzie, one of the volunteers at Mummy’s Little Helper, rings the doorbell to offer her help even though Alice has never asked for it.

Lizzie found the green notebook entitled “The Authenticity Project” at the center. Lizzie recognizes Julian’s name from her younger days out on the town, and she is familiar with Monica’s Café. As she reads Monica’s entry, she determines that modern women are too picky; if Monica wants to be married, she should settle and make it work. She recognizes Hazard’s name from around the center. She reads Alice’s entry, which describes her stressful life as a new mother and her dissatisfaction over the loss of her career and independence.

Monica apologizes to Hazard for being dismissive of him when they first met. She asks him what he wrote in the journal, but he doesn’t tell her about his addiction problems. Monica compliments him on his business plan, which gives Hazard more joy than Monica knows. They arrive at the wedding venue.

Hazard takes a drink of champagne, desperate for Monica not to know about his addiction. Free of the romantic implication of a proper date, Monica has fun with Hazard. But Hazard, who is supposed to drive Monica home, gets drunk and his jerk persona returns. Monica calls Riley for help. Riley reveals that Hazard has an addiction and promises to come and help Monica. While Monica waits for Riley, she dances with Roderick, Daphne’s son.

Hazard is relieved that the alcohol has blurred his strenuous emotions. His drinking leads to snorting cocaine, and he resents Riley for trying to get him out of the wedding. He suffers through his inebriation on the ride home. Hazard dropped his keys somewhere at the wedding, so Monica offers him her couch for the night.

In the morning, Hazard brings Monica flowers to apologize for his behavior. Monica is surprised that “the bombast and self-confidence of the night before had ebbed away, leaving him diminished” (277). Monica tells him they can start over. Monica reveals that when her mother died, Monica developed OCD that led to relentless house cleaning and handwashing. She couldn’t stop washing her hands, even when her skin started peeling off and the kids at school made fun of her chapped hands. Hazard notes that everyone has their own way of escaping the world: Julian disappears into a hermit lifestyle, Alice hides in her social media, Monica distracts herself with compulsive cleaning, and Hazard self-medicates with drugs and alcohol.

Riley finds the English difficult to understand. He and Monica have grown closer, but they still haven’t had sex. He notices that Alice has become happier since Lizzie has started helping with Bunty. The friends are planning a memorial party for Julian on the anniversary of his wife’s death.

Lizzie is nosy but tries not to spy on Alice too much. She notices that Alice drinks a lot. Kept awake by her husband Jack’s snoring, Lizzie opens “The Authenticity Project” to write her own entry.

Hazard continues recovery from his relapse. Though he remembers wanting to kiss Monica, he calls a former date, Blanche, to revive his dating life. He goes out with Blanche to a trendy restaurant, and he discovers that what used to be fun for him is no longer of interest. He realizes he “was a different shape now, and he didn’t fit” (290). He thinks it would be nice to have a family like Alice’s and goes home without Blanche.

Despite Lizzie’s help with Bunty, Alice has not been able to relight the spark in her relationship with Max. Alice helps Monica, Riley, and Hazard set up the party for Julian. Julian posts pictures from a celebrity event and is late to Monica’s party. Monica confronts Julian, challenging his commitment to authenticity. The door opens and a woman walks in. She introduces herself as Mary, Julian’s wife.

Years before, Mary had left Julian, fed up with his philandering. She fell in love with a new man, her partner Anthony. She had received “The Authenticity Project” in the mail, along with an invitation from Julian, whom she hadn’t heard from in over a decade, to a fancy party. Mary read the journal and wasn’t surprised that Julian had killed her off because “Julian had always had a rather flexible and creative relationship with the truth” (297).

Julian had made Mary feel inferior, but Anthony always made her feel loved and appreciated. She had tried getting a divorce from Julian, but he never responded to her messages. She continues reading the journal. The last entry is from Lizzie, who sent the journal with a note that she hates deception; she gives Mary the information for Julian’s art class at the café.

Julian is struck by how luminescent Mary looks. Monica asks him why he lied, and Mary retorts that it’s to get sympathy. Julian has always wanted people to like him. Julian says that it was easier for him to think of Mary as dead. Mary feels bad for Julian after reading about his loneliness in the journal. The others leave to give them privacy, and Julian and Mary confront their past.

Monica realizes that The Authenticity Project began from a lie . Monica decides to be honest with Riley and reveals that, though there is so much she loves about him, ultimately, she is not in love with him. They kiss goodbye and Monica tries to draw on the strength of her mother.

Hazard realizes he’s in love with Monica and avoids her café. He believes that “she didn’t seem to bear a grudge, but there was no way she’d consider going out with him now she’d seen him at his worst” (308). When Hazard finds out that Monica and Riley broke up, he wonders if he could be the husband and father he knows Monica wants.

Julian tells Alice he wants to start a dinner club for people who don’t have anyone else to spend time with. Julian wants Monica to help him plan his upcoming birthday party, the last group event before Riley returns home to Australia.

Mary comes over Julian’s house to collect some of her old belongings. Mary convinces Julian to sell the house and move on from the past.

Mary stops by Monica’s Café to give her “The Authenticity Project.” Mary asks her if she’s resolved the problem with the man who is in love with her. Monica disagrees that Riley is in love with her, but Mary corrects her. She’s talking about Hazard, not Riley. Monica reads the rest of the journal entries to figure out what Mary is talking about.

Hazard goes to Monica’s apartment to confess his feelings for her. Monica is angry with him because of how he wrote about her in his journal entry. Monica refuses to believe that he is in love with her flaws and good qualities. On his way back home, he spots a familiar man. The man tells Hazard not to worry about marriage because women ruin their bodies with babies. Later, Hazard realizes the familiar man was Max, Alice’s husband.

Riley misses Monica, but when he goes to her place, he sees Hazard waiting outside the door. Riley believes that Monica and Hazard have been secretly seeing one another the entire time. Riley feels like a rejected outsider. 

Monica hosts Julian’s dinner club at her café. Julian encourages Monica to give Hazard a chance. Monica runs to the cemetery, hoping to find Hazard. Despite their differences, she can’t help but feel an attraction and an intrigue for Hazard.

Monica finds Hazard at the Admiral’s grave. They kiss and go home together. They have sex and discuss the possibility of a future together.

Alice and Max get into an argument when Max puts his dirty dishes into the sink instead of the washing machine. Alice tells Max that their marriage isn’t working for her anymore. Max agrees and tells Alice that he misses their former life and accuses her of letting herself go. Alice walks out on Max.

Monica hosts Julian’s birthday party. Baz and Benji reveal they’re engaged. Monica thanks Riley for lifting her up and is impressed when Riley says he’s happy for her and Hazard. She gifts Julian “The Authenticity Project” as a token of faith that he will start to live authentically. 

Julian stays in the park after his party, happily contemplating his life. He starts to see old friends and even his brother as a child. A pain consumes his body. The pain morphs into a joyful lightness as he passes away.

A man named Dave comes across Julian in the park. When he sees that Julian is dead, he calls for an ambulance. Dave finds a green notebook entitled “The Authenticity Project.”