We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

My edition: eBook

Pages: 240

First published: 2014

Source: Own book

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. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Thoughts:  Meet the Sinclair family: beautiful, wealthy and haunted. Their shiny golden locks, wide bright smiles and perfectly kept appearances are only a facade for the Sinclair's, who - we quickly learn - have demons under lock and key. In the Sinclair family, 'athletic, tall and handsome’ appearances, alongside personal wealth, are the family's main priorities however Cadence Sinclair Eastman possesses other ideals. Cadence, the blunt teenage narrator of We Were Liars introduces the readers to the superficial lives of the Sinclair's, of which Cadence rebellious transformation is evident; 'I used to be blonde, but now my hair is black. I used to be strong, but now I am weak. I used to be pretty, but now I look sick.' 

On beginning We Were Liars, readers are asked to keep a promise; 'if anyone asks how it ends, just LIE'. Intriguing as this commitment is, it also acts as a precaution as we prepare ourselves for something bad to happen. Unsurprisingly, after Cadence introduces her wealth-driven family, we are informed that Cadence suffers from migraines ever since the infamous 'accident' which took place during one of the summers the Sinclair's spend on the island - which is privately owned by Cady's Granddad, Harris Sinclair. 

Perhaps as a consequence to the accident itself, we quickly learn that Cadence is an unreliable narrator. The first example of this is present when Cadence tells us about her Dad leaving: 

"My father put a last suitcase into the backseat of the Mercedes (he was leaving Mummy with only the Saab), and started the engine. Then he pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest... The bullet hole opened wide and my heart rolled out of my rib cage and down into the flower bed." 

As symbolic evidence of the mental, emotional and physical scarring she is encountering, Cady develops a fondness of expressing herself with extreme metaphors. Ironically, Cady's exaggerated emotions contrasts the lack of by the rest of the Sinclair's. We are told by Cadence that although her dad is no longer with her mother, the family refuses to acknowledge the divorce, and the multiple others too. The family's robot similarities is clearly fuelled by their priority of obtaining more money rather than the general well-being of the family, which is quickly brought to the liar's attention by Gat, a friend of Cadence cousin's Johnny and Mirren. The young teens openly welcome Gat to their exclusive group and shortly name themselves; 'The Liars'. For impressionable Cady and political Gat, their shared interest for the less fortunate unites them and their friendship shortly blossoms into a romance. With Gat's political perseverance and underlying guilt, Cadence starts to question her own family's intentions also. Gat often questions Cady and The Liars motivation, and at one point asks if she knows the names of those who work for her Granddad on the island, to which Gat responds: 

 "Not everyone has private islands. Some people work on them. Some work in factories. Some don't have work. Some don't have food." 

Gat's raw yet honest attitude is eventually admired by The Liars, especially Cady who definitely takes it as a wake-up call. The Sinclair’s welcome Gat back to spend multiple summers on their island but Cadence's Granddad doesn't share the same warm and friendly approach. Gat is not white nor is he worthy of the 'Sinclair' label. Due to Gat's outspoken political thoughts, Cady's Granddad often expresses his dislike of Gat verbally, which could also be masking his true racist attitude. The tension between the two (Gat and Cady's Granddad) is presented multiple times, making for awkward situations especially for Cady who feels that she has to sneak around with Gat behind the adult's backs. It’s evident that the only people who have fun during their time on the island is Cady and The Liars. It may be noted that there are other children on the island, the younger cousins, who remain with their mothers while they bicker and bitch over their superficial problems such as money, family heirlooms and the size of their summer homes. 

As the plot unwinds, Cady's narration becomes as scattered as her thoughts. Along with the reader, Cadence searches and questions The Liar's outlandish attitudes on returning to the island summer seventeen. It is evident that the mood has shifted on the island, and with Cady's use of extreme metaphors, story-telling and amnesia we, as readers, adjust to her exaggerated narration and sympathize since she is in a lot of physical and mental pain after the 'accident'. Because of the Sinclair's nature to portray a perfect image, no one speaks of Cady's illness leading her to estimate what happened: 

"I suppose that I was raped or attacked or some godforsaken something. That's the kind of thing that makes people have amnesia, isn't it?" 

I won’t reveal the ending but the reason behind her amnesia is due to a traumatic event that finally unites all of the Sinclair family. We Were Liar's is a sharp, quick and beautifully haunting novel loaded with an engaging mystery case. The older character's, although arrogant and old-fashioned, perfectly contrast the voices of the younger generation. I adored this book and I would recommend it to anyone. 

My rating: ★★★★½