We Were Liars

Book Title: We Were Liars

Author: E. Lockhart

Date Started: July 21st 2014

Date Completed: July 22nd 2014

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery

Rating: Four stars

Review:

I was really impressed by We Were Liars. As many people say, it's good to go into this story knowing little about the plot. I agree, but wish I had known the general background, since I was a little irritated to find yet another teenage star-crossed romance thrown into the mix. But as I read on, I was gradually won over, and now I'm happy to say this very clever novel is one of my favourites.

Candence has terrible migraines and trouble remembering things since the accident. But she wants to go back to the island this holiday. It will make things better. Or it will make them worse.

I really liked Lockhart's writing. I sometimes have trouble with the stream-of-consciousness style, as I think it can sometimes drag on and make the story too one-sided. But in this instance, that effect was purposefully included and made the connection with the reader and characters far stronger.

Furthermore, the portrayal of teenage thoughts and illness through this was very well done in my opinion. You could tell that Candence was a teenager within a short amount of time, but there's always a nagging at the back of your mind where you can spot little things that aren't quite right, and push her away from the crowd.

My one big problem in the plot was the love story. Like I said, I didn't want to know too much going into this book about what happens, but as soon as hints were dropped about the romance I sighed. I'm fine with soppy, pining teenage romances being out there, but I just don't want to read about them. This was what put me off the book at the beginning.

However, as the book continued I realised that, thankfully, there was a lot more to the story. In fact little things are dropped along for the whole book, and you have to pick them up and start to draw them together the further you get. The time jumps were a big part of this, and the differences between each one were amazingly orchestrated.

I did manage to see the end coming, but admittedly quite close to it happening. It wasn't as shocking as I'd first expected, but it fitted into the lives of the characters, and the book as a whole, perfectly.

The characters in this book are very dislikable. That was another big problem I had to start with, because I found the people so aggravating: they pretended to be perfect when they were obviously very damaged people. But, yet again, as I kept reading, it was clear that one of the main points of the book is that though people may seem to be one way, they're not at all the same inside. Because of this, the characters ended up being really realistic, tragically so. And I connected with them very well in the end.

We Were Liars is a small book, and since the narrative is just one long and jumbled consciousness, it flows well between chapters and makes it very easy to loose yourself in the story. I read this book in two sittings, and only because I had to put the book down and sleep in between.

I highly recommend We Were Liars. Though I didn't like it at first, the point of the story is that things are gradually revealed and characters become more understandable and human. I think it's a very clever book and a great read - especially for summer. I'd suggest not knowing too much about it when going in, but possibly more than having no idea whatsoever. If you don't like gradual mysteries, contemporary and teenage romance that much, maybe check a few more reviews.

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