As in Ersatz Realism
Just kidding. We all know that books have to be actual and truthful representations of real life (*snicker*). We would never fake it with an ersatz reality. Or have our characters give a show of ersatz emotion. But we might use the word in dialogue somewhere.
Waiter: We ran out of coffee beans. Is ersatz coffee all right?
Customer: Ersatz coffee? What’s that?
Waiter: Tea.
