The Fraud is a historical fiction novel written by English novelist and short-story writer Zadie Smith published on September 5, 2023. In Victorian England and Jamaica in the 1800s, the novel's chapters span different places and periods, creating a non-linear narrative structure.

Smith's aim is a fusion of celebration and critique of traditional 19th-century English literature, so the novel delves deeply into the characters' inner thoughts and emotions. This is further reinforced by exploring themes such as identity, womanhood, politics, class, and gender. Much like Middlemarch, the novel is divided into eight volumes, and Smith subtly alludes to George Eliot (known privately as Mrs. Lewes) several times within the story.

At the heart of The Fraud lies the peculiar 'Tichborne Case, a captivating 1870s London trial in which Arthur Orton, a cockney-speaking Australian butcher, claims to be Sir Roger Tichborne, the presumed heir to a vast fortune. But this trial is just a piece of the larger narrative. The story pivots around three central characters: Eliza Touchet, a pragmatic Scottish widow in her sixties; William Ainsworth, her cousin-in-marriage and a declining, ignorant novelist; and Andrew Bogle, a sincere and resolute Jamaican man who serves as a key witness in the Tichborne Case.

Bogle's character kindles Eliza's curiosity, motivating her to write a novel on her own. However, her background, intertwined with her late husband's family's connection to the slave trade, raises questions about her suitability to authentically depict Bogle's path to freedom. Is she the right person to narrate his story?

Although Eliza is arguably the most intelligent and perceptive character in the novel, comprehending how everyone exploits their privilege, a shift in perspective from Bogle's point of view exposes her privilege. This underscores a central theme of the novel: everyone is, in some way, a fraud, not solely the Claimant.

Within the story, Ainsworth continues to delude himself that he's still relevant, while his friend Dickens uses the people he's celebrated for humanizing for his gain. Eliza herself is a complex figure, embodying various facets of fraudulence: a bisexual dominatrix who conceals her true identity beneath the facade of a Catholic widow, a critic of writers and their self-delusions, all while harboring her secret literary pursuits. Even Bogle, an honest man, is ensnared in his version of truth, which is, in reality, a lie.

Finally, there's the Claimant, Arthur Orton, a middle-class butcher attempting to pass himself off as an aristocrat. Surprisingly, he convinces the working class that he's telling the truth. 

In its essence, The Fraud is a multifaceted exploration of truth. Smith weaves together a tapestry of characters within its pages, each possessing a fervent desire to recount their life's stories. This narrative journey leads the readers to a profound and contemplative question: Who possesses the coveted privilege of being genuinely believed?