Three hotels in three cities, for no apparent reason, and an unidentified narrator. The centerpiece of Transcription is an iPhone that the narrator foolishly drops in water at the first hotel. Even more foolish is the prideful decision to deny to his mentor, Thomas, that his iPhone is bricked and act as if nothing happened. Pride drives the rest of the novel as the narrator tries to delay an interview with Thomas until he can buy a new iPhone.
Years later, at another hotel, the interviewer confesses at a symposium that he did not record the interview with Thomas, so his now-famous article was based on memory. He is accused of writing a “deepfake” article in what turns out to be the last interview with Thomas, who is now deceased. The article is now considered fiction because of a lie the non-fiction writer told to the interviewee. It gets complicated and stays that way as we go to the last hotel, where we meet Max, a college friend of the interviewer and Thomas’ son.
I read Transcription twice: first on Audible, then on Kindle.