We Were Liars. (Book Review #9)

Introduction:

          One does not simply read a book like 'We Were Liars' and forget about it. This book is vividly thrilling with splendid writing. What I loved most about it was the fact that it wasn't dull. Often there were shifts in the story to keep the reader intrigued. In the beginning, it just seemed like a teenager type novel with a charming love story and politics among the royal family. But, as the story progresses it has the reader glued. It crosses the mediocre theme of fun and summer to reach a whole different level. You'll be amazed and shocked by the end of it. The book might render you useless and force you to think of all that is to this universe.

Characters:

          The conveyor of the story is a girl named Cadence Sinclair Eastman. She is someone with a bright mind, hope, and promise. Her amnesiac self wants to remember everything about summer fifteen. Even though she is fragile at the start, she becomes braver by the end. The other three liars are Johnny, Mirren, and Gat. These four meet every summer at their Beechwood Island and spend it being their other selves. I loved how the author described everyone in nouns in the following fashion. 

It was an interesting relation between Penny, Carrie, and Bess. Grandfather Harris was intelligent, helpless. racist and biased. The littles were just little having less importance in the story.

Story line:

          The novel is divided into five parts. 'Welcome' part is the shortest. It's followed by the second part, which is, 'Vermont'. Until here, the story is mostly a flashback of previous summers spent with the liars. It's a story without any ups and downs. It's a plain love story of Cady and Gat. The rest is the friendship between the four of them. And how the three daughters of a rich father struggle to inherit his belongings. It's witnessed by Cady's amnesia. The third part, 'Summer Seventeen', is the part where the liars re-unite. Or so you think. I liked how Cady and Gat were such a different couple. Theirs is a love story atypical than any other love story I've read. I liked how they each had some mottos. The part where Cadence jumps from the cliff into the lake was quite involving and fun. Part four, 'Look, a fire', is when Cadence starts to remember about her accident at the island two years ago. Everything comes back to her slowly. Because of this it's impossible to keep the book down. Part five, 'Truth', is the most raveling end of this story. Once you read the start of it, you become a ghost yourself, unable to cope up. As you read through it, you hope that it's not the truth. Finally, when the whole incident of that night is put forth, you have to believe that Johnny, Mirren and Gat had died years ago. The fact that Cady spent entire summer seventeen with ghosts is baffling. After you try to believe it, you'll feel like reading the book again. You'll remember how Harris called Cady 'Mirren'. It'll strike you that there weren't any real conversations between the dead liars and others except for Cady. It's also evident how they helped Cady bring back her memory. You'll be completely absorbed in this novel.

Overall Thoughts:

          The first thing you read before the story starts is the brilliant foreward by Beverly Horowitz. When you look at:

"Family secrets,

hallucinations,

a terrifying accident,

and many golden retrievers."

you might feel like that's the whole story told in a nutshell. But, believe me, you'll want to read it. I loved this novel for many reasons. It compelled me to give up sleep and finish it in 2 days. So it's safe to say that it's an electrifying read. The superficial fake family seemed so weird to me. I mean, I've only seen such families in movies, but to be a part of it as a reader gives you the real feeling about how much dirty politics can affect and change the families. It was so bad that the liars decided to burn down one of their bungalows. Another thing which is constant throughout the novel is those little stories which begin with, "Once upon a time there was a king who had three beautiful daughters". That was something rare and it stood out well too. At the end of the novel as the truth comes forth, I got a feeling of loneliness with respect to Cady. I was drawn so close to the story that I felt as if those were my cousins who were leaving me. Hence, it has got a powerful way to engage the readers and get connected.