Book Review: We Were Liars
We Were Liars by e. lochart is a gripping YA (and older) phycological thriller. This book has been on my want-to-read list for quite a while — and I know that it is a read I will probably never forget.
WELCOME TO THE beautiful Sinclair family.
No one is a criminal.
No one is an addict.
No one is a failure.
The Sinclairs are athletic, tall, and handsome. We are old-money Democrats. Our smiles are wide, our chins square, and our tennis serves aggressive.
We Were Liars follows the story of Cadence Sinclair Eastman and the Sinclair family. An opulent American family who spend their summers on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts. However, not everything is as it seems with the Sinclair family. “Summer fifteen” (summer when she was fifteen), Cadence faces a terrible accident, and now, all she wants to do is remember.
We Were Liars is the first phycological thriller novel I have read — so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was delighted by the almost musical writing and emotional ending. I never cry while reading books — but with this one, I had tears in my eyes.
The writing is creative and flows really well. It is written in mainly prose, with added bits of fairytales and metaphors. I usually don’t like this type of writing, but in this novel, it helped add to the feel of Cadence after suffering her accident. There are many memorable lines and quotes carefully placed throughout the whole novel and referred back to at important times.
“There is not even a scrabble word for how bad I feel”
The plot started out fairly slow and was a little confusing. About a quarter through it sped up and I was hooked. It’s not a mystery — you are not solving for what happened to Cadence (as some readers think). Rather you are living with, Cadence experiencing her life with the Sinclair family, and trying to remember the accident with her. The pacing of the plot increases as the book builds and when you reach the end — to me it felt like a cartoon character jumping off a cliff. When they hang in the air for a few seconds before realizing they’re plummeting. It is beautifully done and you can tell that the author deliberately added every detail.
“Always do what you’re afraid to do.”
The characters and developed and loveable. The Sinclair family is raw yet relatable. Cadence and the main characters feel so real and make the story come alive. The only characters are those in the Sinclar family, and knowing this family so well gives you perspective to better understand the whole story. It’s a family you never knew, but a family you fall in love with in just a few pages.
I loved this book. It was a straight ride — with an ending that stops you, shocks you, and then makes perfect sense. e. lockhart has managed to perfectly capture the bonds of family, individuality, and the effects of trauma.
You will probably like this book if:
- You like short reads that flow well
- You like reads with an unreliable narrator that you learn with
- You like stories that are realistic but ordinarily haunting
- You like phycological thrillers
You will probably not like this book if:
- You prefer books with action and mystery
- You don’t like vague/prose writing
- You prefer fast-paced books filled with new information and answers
If you’re not sure, or if this isn’t something you would normally read — I would still recommend looking into it. See where the journey takes you — and do tell me what you think.
Happy reading!
