This is a collection of three long-form essays about identity and the internet.

I absolutely devoured the first piece, 'Ghosting', about O'Hagan's failed attempt to ghost-write Julian Assange's autobiography. It was strange and complex; not only does Assange come over horribly, O'Hagan didn't seem to mind that he also seems like an arsehole.

The second, 'The Invention of Ronnie Pinn', started out well and raised interesting questions, but it did seem that the author was grasping for meaning in a story that didn't actually consist of much.

The last, 'The Satoshi Affair', was about Bitcoin, and not being a tech person I found it very jargon-heavy and quite boring. Still, the book is worth a read just for the Assange part.

O'Hagan writes three separate stories that all come back to this: secrets. His first story, about Julian Assange tells you everything you need to know about the secretive, paranoid genius. The second, touches on the secret life of a dead man, created to see it was possible. Spoiler: it was. The third story, delves into the secretive world of cryptocurrency and the bitcoin pioneers. This was one of the most fascinating books I've read in years, fiction or non-fiction, and recommend to those interested in reading about people fighting to define their existence - both real and artificial.

O'Hagan, an accomplished novelist, is also remarkable for his ability to explain and pursue the dark side of technology for a popular audience--this is a collection of three longform essays highlighting the ways in which the internet allows people to both reach into far away corners, as well as be evasive and shroud their identities. The second, in which O'Hagan adopts a standard police undercover tactic of choosing the identity of a teenager who died prematurely, in order to build a full identity, offers a view of just how easily someone can become plausible in the real world (with ID, bank accounts, a mail order college degree, twitter followers and clearly bot-flunkies). The third sees O'Hagan attempt to sort out the smokescreen around Craig Wright, the Australian who might or might not have invented Bitcoin, and the road to technological proficiency that made him possible. The first, and the crown jewel, is O'Hagan's ill-fated stint on behalf of a publisher as Julian Assange's ghostwriter, revealing Assange as a self-absorbed pain in the ass, and exactly how he wears out his welcome with supporters.