User ID: A Novel of Identity Theft [Paperback]

Jenefer Shute (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

What if someone stole your identity . . . but you didn't want it anyway?

The New York professor Vera de Sica is tired of her life -- it hasn't turned out the way she hoped but, then again, it is her life. At least it is until a trip to Los Angeles, where she becomes the unwitting victim of a con artist when she returns her rental car.

Enter Charlene Cummins -- cosmetics salesperson, Internet surfer, and girlfriend of said con artist. Armed with a stray credit card receipt left in the rental car's glove compartment, Charlene finds her way into Vera's personal records, opens up new credit cards in Vera's name, and begins stealing not only her life but her sense of self.

Now it’s up to Vera and her hacker boyfriend to find Charlene and take back Vera's identity before it’s too late.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Taut and delectable." Entertainment Weekly

"Riveting, edgy . . . an astute psychological thriller." Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"You will leap from your bed at midnight to change your e-mail password and cancel that rarely used Macy's card after tearing through Shute's taut and delectable little thriller." Entertainment Weekly

"Fascinating . . . It may cure you of shopping online." The New York Times

"A witty psychological study of two women who have more in common than they realize." USA Today

About the Author

JENEFER SHUTE, a native of South Africa, is the author of three previous novels: Life-Size, Sex Crimes, and Free Fall. User I.D., her latest novel, is based on over three years of research on identity theft, the fastest-growing white-collar crime in America. Her journalism has appeared in Salon, Harper's Magazine, Tikkun, Allure, and the Boston Globe. She teaches writing and literature at Hunter College in New York City. Shute lives in Ancramdale, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618773398
• ISBN-13: 978-0618773398
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,528,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Stinks!, October 16, 2006

By 

c: "sf family dysfunction lover" (SF) - See all my reviews

This review is from: User ID: A Novel of Identity Theft (Paperback)

I am no literary snob and read a lot of so-so stuff, and did not expect greatness of this book. This identity theft thing happened to me, so the subject was of interest... This book has the worst ending I have experienced in many years and I could not wait to throw it in the recycling, knowing that my local bookstore would NEVER buy it back.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic sense of humour, March 20, 2011

By 

B. Wright - See all my reviews

This review is from: User ID: A Novel of Identity Theft (Paperback)

This is a highly interesting book from an academic point of view and, I would say, also a thrilling reading if you look for mere entertainment. Shute's use of irony is subtle at times, mordatn at others - and the irony (self)-addressed at academics if sharp and hilarious. It is also a deep exploration of the construction of identity in contemporary capitalist culture. And the ending is open and disturbing - like life itself! Closed endings are far too passé.

1.0 out of 5 stars User ID, May 14, 2009

By 

Carrie M. Campbell "L&D RN" (Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: User ID: A Novel of Identity Theft (Paperback)

I just finished reading this book. I started it yesterday afternoon and by the evening I was ready to ditch the book! I just really didn't want to read IN DETAIL the whole Identity theft process that the author discussed. In some ways, it was just a little too real and "HOW-TO" -ish for my comfort, but I trudged on. The story line got very boring and annoying as the book went along and I found myself speed reading and then skipping through dialogue just to see where the author was going with this story. By the time I finished - a little after midnight - I found myself exclaiming out loud, "THIS IS THE STUPIDEST STORY/ BOOK I HAVE EVER READ"!!! It would be worthy of the trash can had it not been a loaner from the local library. Terrible book.