I have become this faceless man for what I hope is a good reason. You see, my invisibility is a noble lie; a dishonesty that serves an ironic purpose: to allow me to be completely truthful.
By way of introduction, I’m a recognizable public figure, whose conservative opinions are the foundation of my career as a journalist and author.
I am a devoutly religious person; a graduate of seminary, no less. Even in private life, I have a reputation as a reliable son, husband, father and friend.
A Conservative with a capital “C”, and like other such cowards who have come before me, I am all right angles and restraint. I have spent my lifetime avoiding controversy, obscenity and lust.
But now, my conservative platform serves to work against me, as I am convinced that I have just read a novel that will change my life. How is that a problem, you ask? Well, this material is so shocking, controversial and…wrong in so many ways…that my endorsing it publically will brand me a hypocrite. Scenes of violence, pornography, drug use and paganism paint nearly every inch of every page (only the margins are exceptions); all the categories of immorality that I have spent a career fighting against. But…I’m left haunted by the thought that this is a very important work.
So, now you see the reason that I must become The Invisible Männe: I am a coward. It is the fear of losing my reputation and livelihood that is this gauze that now hides my face. This disguise, however, does allow me a freedom I have never before enjoyed…
In this newly fitted costume of The Invisible Männe, “I look forward to being allowed a full range of fucking expression.”
If you will indulge me in this process, I hope that I might discover the same conviction as the novel’s protagonist, and with a blade between my teeth, embrace myself as savage.
Let us away…
Yours truly,
Griffin aka – The Invisible Männe
