BOOK REVIEW: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars

Author: E. Lockhart

Genre: YA Coming of Age / Contemporary
Publication Date: 13 May 2014

Book Description:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

"Thrilling, beautiful, and blisteringly smart, We Were Liars is utterly unforgettable." —John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars

 

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

MY REVIEW

I've had this book on my TBR list for so long, I'm glad I finally got the chance to read it. It was definitely worth the wait. I love the cover. It's the first thing that caught my attention, and after reading the blurb, I had to add it to my TBR.

We Were Liars follows Cadence Sinclair ("Cady") as she explores the dynamics of love, friendship and family and always feeling as though she can't quite get a grasp on her reality or her life. Every summer, Cady and her mother vacate to her family's island where she spends her days with her two cousins, Mirren and Philip, and Gat, who is almost but not quite family. The four call themselves the liars and are inseparable. They trust each other and love each other dearly. Behind the beautiful paradise, however, lies a very deep-seated resentment and envy among the adult members of the family surrounding the family inheritance, which threatens to come between the Liars, until one eventful summer when everything changed, leaving Cady injured and at a loss. The problem, however, is that Cady can't remember the events that took place, and no one is willing to share after her mother warned them that the doctor wants Cady to remember the events at her own pace. With everyone walking on eggshells around her and keeping themselves at bay, Cady begins to feel ostracised. As the memories of that eventful summer day start to return, Cady realises exactly why the Liars and the rest of the family have kept their silence. The truth might do more damage, damage Cady may never be able to overcome.

This one was a slow burner for me. I wasn't convinced at first, but I found my mind always wandering back to it after reading and wondering about the characters and their interactions. Albeit I did figure out the big twist before the big reveal, which is usually a turn off for me, but it wasn't in this case. The writing style and the characterisation won me over. The subtlety of prejudice and pride that plays throughout the book brought a sense of authenticity to the story that added much depth to the characters so that even if you don't like a character or you're not too fond of their mannerism, you're still able to reflect on their actions and comprehend their intention, which helps to better understand their reasoning.

This story is emotionally driven, and I believe it's because of the narrative writing style that we're able to get lost in Cady's world and feel as disoriented as she felt. While we may not necessarily be able to relate to her situation, speaking for myself, we can at least appreciate the weight of the burden on her shoulders.

An enjoyable story with an ethical dilemma.

VERDICT:

Rating: 4 Star

Source: Prime Reading