A review by ps_stillreading
Lie With Me by Philippe Besson

emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

 “I cannot stand the idea that he could be taken from me. That I could lose him. I discover for the first time–poor idiot–the stabbing pain of love.” 

First love will always leave a mark, something you carry with you for a long time. And after the years have passed, you look back on that first love with either fondness, bitterness, or simple nostalgia for memories of the past and of a lover long gone. 

In Lie With Me, our unnamed narrator is a successful writer reliving his first love after seeing a man who looked exactly like his past lover. His recollections take us back to the winter of 1984. In the story, he is seventeen and attracted to a boy who does not even know him. 

“To him, I’m a stranger.
I’m in this state of one-way desire.” 

 Except this boy, Thomas Andrieu, does know who he is. And he likes him back.

Their love affair begins with secret meetings and carefully planned encounters. The intensity of their connection tells them that what they have is real, even if they’re the only ones who know about it. Because when they’re lying together, everything feels right in the world. 

Lie With Me was beautifully written by Philippe Besson, and wonderfully translated by Molly Ringwald. So many moments in this book took my breath away.  Even as I wanted to inhale this book, I slowed down to savor every word. It has been a couple of weeks since I finished this book, but I still think about it a lot and I still feel it in my chest.

The main character is telling us a story about his past. Even as we are immersed in those memories with him, his vivid recollections are often punctuated by references to future events. These interruptions by reality as we experience his past made the story hurt that much more. We readers have an inkling of what happens, but we can’t stop it. Instead, we can only inch closer to the end even when we know it’s not going to be the ending we want. 

The MC does question whether things happened the way he remembered, or if he has embellished here and there. He is a writer after all, used to making up scenarios. And with this happening 20 years ago, memories can't be that accurate. His penchant for creating stories as a child has often earned him a scolding from his parents: "Stop with your lies!"

If you've read the book, you probably know where I'm going. But I do want to bring up that the title for the French version translates to "Stop With Your Lies" but Molly Ringwald decided to go with a different title for the English Translation. In an interview she says, "There were a few different ones being considered. Lie With Me Felt like the right one–the double meaning of embracing someone, the romantic mixed with the duplicity implied by being a writer and inventing stories for a living."

But the title Lie With Me also fits the story in another way. In asking him to keep their relationship a secret, Thomas asks him to lie. The two of them, lying to protect this secret happiness. There is also the reality of being gay, and lying in order to fit in and conform to the expectations of others.

This book now holds a special place in my heart. The lyrical prose, visceral depiction of yearning, that balanced blend of happy and sad, and the meeting of memory and reality are some of the reasons Lie With Me will be one of those books that stick with me for a long time. 
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