The Show-Off

In the suffocatingly polite world of the 1920s middle class, Aubrey Piper is a walking disaster. He is a $30-a-week clerk with the ego of a railroad tycoon and the wardrobe of a man who spends his entire paycheck on carnations and toupees. Aubrey isn't just a liar; he is a performer who has convinced himself of his own fiction. When he charms his way into the life of Amy Fisher, he doesn't just marry a girl; he infects an entire family with his delusions. His 'fake it till you make it' philosophy eventually leads to a car wreck, a legal nightmare, and the near-total financial collapse of his in-laws. This is a story about the danger of the charming blowhard and the people who are too weak—or too hopeful—to call his bluff.