A review by anikamac
I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying: Essays by Bassey Ikpi

5.0

I loved this book. I don’t read a lot of poetry or biographies so this was a different pick for me but I’m so glad I did. As someone with Bipolar II disorder, this book hit really hard in a lot of places, but at the same time I felt that Ikpi so beautifully articulated things I could never begin to put into words. For me, reading this was both learning and healing.

The writing style maybe confusing for some so keep in mind it is a series of essays, most written in a poetic format. A lot of the writing techniques used in the book are very intentional. The tense used, the pacing, point of view, all change depending on how the author is communicating each portion of her life. I personally enjoyed that, but it’s not for everyone, some people prefer a consistent writing style all throughout.

I may be a bit biased towards this book but I really would recommend this book to anyone, even if you cannot relate to it personally, It’s a wonderful book that will tug at your heart and show you life from a new point of view. It’s unlike what I typically read, content wise and stylistically but I am glad I didn’t allow that to repel me.

Amazing book, I have already recommended it to a few friends, if you are at all interested it’s definitely worth the read.