Scan barcode
robosquid's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this psychological thriller about a young London architect (Sophia) who receives a phone call from her mum (Nina) while out drinking with colleagues one Friday night. She drives down the following morning to find her mum dead and her dad close to death. She soon discovers some of Nina's journals which detail a surprising and disturbing tale of a charismatic rock star / cult leader, his devoted followers, a death and all its repercussions.
The book follows two timelines - Sophia's today and her mother's story from the 1980's. Both parts were equally riveting. I really loved the author's style of writing, so much so that I found myself re-reading and highlighting bits because they were so enjoyable and visual:
"...a deeply lined forehead, as though it had been built out of flesh-coloured bricks and the mortar had worn away over time."
The 1980s journals were frustrating because the reader can clearly see all the mistakes that Nina is making and how she falls for the bullying and manipulative behaviour of the cult leader. Having said that, there are some interesting parallels between this and the behaviour of the firm of architects that Sophia works for - the hours demanded, the drinking expected, the bullying behaviour of the partners and colleagues, and the not-so-subtle reminders about the terms of her contract.
The book had a surprising yet satisfying ending with loose ends tied up. Thoroughly recommended!
The book follows two timelines - Sophia's today and her mother's story from the 1980's. Both parts were equally riveting. I really loved the author's style of writing, so much so that I found myself re-reading and highlighting bits because they were so enjoyable and visual:
"...a deeply lined forehead, as though it had been built out of flesh-coloured bricks and the mortar had worn away over time."
The 1980s journals were frustrating because the reader can clearly see all the mistakes that Nina is making and how she falls for the bullying and manipulative behaviour of the cult leader. Having said that, there are some interesting parallels between this and the behaviour of the firm of architects that Sophia works for - the hours demanded, the drinking expected, the bullying behaviour of the partners and colleagues, and the not-so-subtle reminders about the terms of her contract.
The book had a surprising yet satisfying ending with loose ends tied up. Thoroughly recommended!
pgchuis's review against another edition
4.0
Sophia discovers her mother dead and her father near death in an apparent failed murder-suicide, but cannot believe this to be true. Then she discovers her mother has written a book about her time at a cult called Morningstar. Large parts of the narrative are the text of this book, so we switch between the perspective of Sophia in the present day and Nina in the past.
This was an intriguing read, although parts of Nina's story were hard to read, and at one point things looked increasingly hopeless for Sophia, and I feared that their voices would become indistinguishable in their defeat. Fortunately Sophia pulled herself together. There were some revelations that I thought were fairly obvious, but it was still a page-turner.
This was an intriguing read, although parts of Nina's story were hard to read, and at one point things looked increasingly hopeless for Sophia, and I feared that their voices would become indistinguishable in their defeat. Fortunately Sophia pulled herself together. There were some revelations that I thought were fairly obvious, but it was still a page-turner.
vicki_cosy_books's review against another edition
Dear Amy was one of the first books I read last year, and I absolutely loved it, and so I was incredibly eager to read Helen Callaghan’s latest novel – Everything Is Lies. When I began reading I was delighted to realise it was a duel time frame narrative, as in the present Sophia discovers her quiet and reclusive parents dead in what appears to be a murder/suicide while the secrets of her mother’s past are revealed in the notebooks she’d compiled in the months leading up to her death. I LOVE a duel narrative, it’s probably my favourite writing style to read as I find myself gripped between the switching stories of the past and present and desperate to know how they connect.
Everything of Lies starts exceptionally well – Sophia’s grisly and deeply shocking discovery grabbed my attention and with sympathetic storytelling, drew me in emotionally. Her distress, horror and trauma was palpable and connected me to her immediately. When Sophia begins to suspect that all is not as it seems and discovers her mother’s notebooks, I was hooked by the tale of a young, impressionable girl who finds herself involved in a cult led by a failed rock star. I settled down for the duration, as page after page flew by almost without me realising.
What made this book so compelling was just how convincing it is. The cult is sinister and weird yes, but subtly so and it was incredibly easy to imagine just how easily a lonely young person lacking in self esteem and confidence could find themselves wrapped up in it, not realising what was going on around them until they are so involved and reliant, there’s no way back. I also thought the character of Aaron, a narcissistic, deluded control freak, was well crafted as he relies on his past fame as a rock star to lure in vulnerable people. Again, he was convincing and it was easy to see why he would at first appear so alluring.
I often find that when reading duel timelines, it’s the sections from the past I find the most intriguing and enjoyable. Surprisingly though, it was the present that really caught me attention and drove this book, as Sophia seeks the truth about her parent’s horrific demise and at the same time, finds herself in danger. While I did enjoy reading her mother’s experiences of the cult, I felt that around the middle it lost pace a bit and wasn’t as tense as I would have liked it. On the other hand, the present galloped along and while I did see a major plot twist coming and predicted it correctly quite early on, I still found myself gripped as the truth is revealed.
Everything Is Lies is one of those books that are so easy to read, you find yourself halfway through before you’ve even looked up. Helen Callaghan certainly has an engaging and evocative writing style which manages to emotionally involve readers in her convincing characters and their stories. While I would probably have liked a little more tension and pace during some aspects of this book, on the whole it was a gripping and satisfying read. Recommended.
Everything of Lies starts exceptionally well – Sophia’s grisly and deeply shocking discovery grabbed my attention and with sympathetic storytelling, drew me in emotionally. Her distress, horror and trauma was palpable and connected me to her immediately. When Sophia begins to suspect that all is not as it seems and discovers her mother’s notebooks, I was hooked by the tale of a young, impressionable girl who finds herself involved in a cult led by a failed rock star. I settled down for the duration, as page after page flew by almost without me realising.
What made this book so compelling was just how convincing it is. The cult is sinister and weird yes, but subtly so and it was incredibly easy to imagine just how easily a lonely young person lacking in self esteem and confidence could find themselves wrapped up in it, not realising what was going on around them until they are so involved and reliant, there’s no way back. I also thought the character of Aaron, a narcissistic, deluded control freak, was well crafted as he relies on his past fame as a rock star to lure in vulnerable people. Again, he was convincing and it was easy to see why he would at first appear so alluring.
I often find that when reading duel timelines, it’s the sections from the past I find the most intriguing and enjoyable. Surprisingly though, it was the present that really caught me attention and drove this book, as Sophia seeks the truth about her parent’s horrific demise and at the same time, finds herself in danger. While I did enjoy reading her mother’s experiences of the cult, I felt that around the middle it lost pace a bit and wasn’t as tense as I would have liked it. On the other hand, the present galloped along and while I did see a major plot twist coming and predicted it correctly quite early on, I still found myself gripped as the truth is revealed.
Everything Is Lies is one of those books that are so easy to read, you find yourself halfway through before you’ve even looked up. Helen Callaghan certainly has an engaging and evocative writing style which manages to emotionally involve readers in her convincing characters and their stories. While I would probably have liked a little more tension and pace during some aspects of this book, on the whole it was a gripping and satisfying read. Recommended.
raesreadingcorner's review against another edition
4.0
*Edited*
-First read through:
I was definitely intrigued when I first read the blurb of this book as it sounded just like something I would read, and I'm delighted to say that this book kept me glued to my seat and urged me to want to read more, I barely put the book down!
-Reread:
Just noting that I’m rereading this proves how much I enjoyed the book, now finding extra details from before that I never noticed and now taking my time to read it instead of rushing through it like I did the first time
-First read through:
I was definitely intrigued when I first read the blurb of this book as it sounded just like something I would read, and I'm delighted to say that this book kept me glued to my seat and urged me to want to read more, I barely put the book down!
-Reread:
Just noting that I’m rereading this proves how much I enjoyed the book, now finding extra details from before that I never noticed and now taking my time to read it instead of rushing through it like I did the first time