Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Kindest Lie

CW: racism, casual ableism, pregnancy & birth (graphic/on page), violence, alcohol use, drug use mentioned, gun violence, police brutality, death of a parent mentioned, infertility & miscarriage mentioned, classism, bullying, violence, child abuse

this type of contemporary isn't usually my go-to, so I had a bit of a hard time getting into it, but overall a really good read. Johnson has a way with words and I'd be interested in what she writes next.

Content Warnings

kimveach's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The best parts of this book were the intimate exchanges between the characters and the descriptions of everyday life. The book fell short when it added in social commentary that was disguised as reflective thought. It is hard to believe that the character would have such clarity of thought at that moment.

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seawarrior's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Kindest Lie skillfully weaves together the experiences and perspectives of multiple characters in a floundering small town to present a novel where there are no easy answers. Johnson excels at giving her characters unique voices and slowly unraveling their life story to explain who they've become and why. Ironically, the character I felt least compelled by was Ruth. Her naivety and lack of planning frustrated me at times, while in other scenarios her dialogue read too perfect to believe a real person would react how she was. Luckily by the end of the book I felt like Ruth had matured into accepting more responsibility for herself while still speaking her truth. Otherwise, I thought each of the characters were written very authentically, and that Johnson obviously did the research to ensure they would be. The book was much less dramatic than I had expected it to be, which isn't a negative feature. Instead of using flashy, scandalous tropes, Johnson grabs the reader's attention by pitting Ruth's differing responsibilities against each other to a devastating effect. Ultimately, this is a story about the weight of the sacrifices families must make to protect their youngest members, and how Black families are always expected to sacrifice more. I would recommend this book to other readers, especially those looking for stories with multifaceted narratives about race and class in the United States.

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sam_h's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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bookdragon217's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"One thing I learned a long time ago is that you can't live your life looking back."

Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the gifted copy.

Bookdragon rating 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

I finished The Kindest Lie a few days ago and I can't stop thinking about it because there is so much to unpack. This novel was a perfect blend of rich character and plot development. It starts out very slow but so many layers and back story are added on that the wait is worth it. By the time the story reached its peak, it was so tense I was literally holding my breath. The writing style is so beautiful and poetic that you are captivated from the very first sentence. It was an emotional roller coaster but I'm glad I went for the ride. Ruth and Midnight played tug of war with my heart the entire time.

This book is a window into a segment of the country that isn't always in the spotlight. Your own perspective will be tested with the different dilemmas each character is facing and the decisions they choose to make. Each one is essentially in survival mode trying to maintain secrets and lies but the truth always comes out at the worst times.

I was left pondering:

- What defines motherhood? How do you begin to mother in the future when the choices about your own body were taken away?
- How can you live an authentic life while holding on to so much pain and keeping secrets?
- How do you fill the void of feeling unwanted by your parents?
- Does lying for the greater good ever pan out?
- How could Ruth's family and Lena's family never address the very real racial barriers/ bias in their friendship?
- How will Midnight deal with his brewing racial tensions?
- Does marraige automatically require full disclosure of past trauma?
- How does society return the innocence of youth back to Black children?
- How do groups with similar struggles of varying degrees come to a place of open communication and move past the biases?
- Class and education cannot save you from the violence of racism.

My mind is still spinning with so many thoughts. This book is timely, necessary and beautifully written. I cannot wait to see else the author has in store for us because this debut packed a punch.

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lklitup's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

WOWOWOW. The Kindest Lie is an emotional, evocative, insightful novel. Read this book!

This book centered wholly around family. What, or who, makes a family? What expectations are set simply because of familial ties? What duties are to be upheld? When does the individual self give way to the familial whole? Is there a breaking point amongst family? Should there be?

Lena and Midnight’s stories— individually and as a whole— warmed my heart, broke it, and put it back together again.

The Kindest Lie handled racism and classism in both big topic discussions, with outright acknowledgments, and everyday nuance. The themes were intertwined, layered, fully realized... This novel truly does it all.

I had two main gripes, one writing-wise and one more personally based. First, I felt the storyline about Stanley DeAngelo was unnecessary. The way the community of Ganton was described, built upon, and shown to the reader, I would’ve very easily believed that the families and church handled their business amongst themselves. I’ll leave it at that to prevent spoilers.

Second, the personal note, I was aggravated whenever Ruth said “my son.” I thought it took too long for someone to put Ruth to her paces about how she could imagine sort of claim to the title “my son.” Ruth’s actions at the riverbank belied this very idea of motherhood. Her motives and actions were selfish; Ruth’s behavior in that scene was antithetical to all of the decisions that had been made for Ruth to get her to that point. In other words, whereas so many decisions prior to that point made for Ruth were motivated by love and her own betterment (whether she liked it or not), Ruth’s decision in that moment was for her own (mistaken? misguided?) absolution.

I am of the firm belief biology has no bearing on a family. Perhaps if I were a mother, I’d be empathetic to Ruth. I am not, though, and adoption holds the dearest place in my heart.

All said, I loved this book and would enthusiastically recommend!

Content Warnings

invitation_allyson's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Content Warnings

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