Scan barcode
A review by katiemichellereads
Liar by Justine Larbalestier
3.0
3.5 stars
Micah is a compulsive liar. She had lied all her life, but now her boyfriend is dead and she needs to tell the truth to someone, even if nobody believes her. She promises to be completely honest in her retelling of what happened, even letting you in on the lies she told to other people -- but never to you, of course.
This book was really interesting, although not quite what I had been expecting going in. I do admit it kept me hooked, though. Something about seeing the table of contents with the three parts -- "Telling the Truth," "Telling the True Truth," "The Actual Real Truth" -- and Micah's voice in some parts of the story just kept me reading, needing to know what really happened.
And there were some great aspects of this book. Namely, Micah's lying was done well. It created some unexpected twists and really added something different to the story. It also had such an impact on her voice, and I loved how she talked to the reader. There was something so great and real about that. One time I remember pretty vividly is when she flat out says something like, You believe everything. You're so gullible. I really wish I had highlighted that quote to share, because it was great. It was a great reminder of how unreliable Micah's voice really was here.
There was also the thing with Micah's "family illness" that I would have preferred to go without. Of course I won't be giving spoilers, so I can't get into this aspect so much -- but I didn't expect this at all going into the book, and I probably would have stayed away if I had known. It just seemed a bit too ridiculous to me, and it kind of confused me come the end of the story. Although, it does bring up a lot of questions and leaves a lot for the reader to interpret, which I feel conflicted about. I have a love/hate relationship with open endings, and this one definitely didn't wrap everything up neatly -- nor should it have. Ultimately, it's the reader's decision what they believe of Micah's story.
Overall, I have to say that I had my problems with this book -- but some aspects of it were so well done, and I found myself thinking about Micah and her story days after finishing the book. The compulsive liar aspect was spot on, and it was very impressive to see it in writing.
Micah is a compulsive liar. She had lied all her life, but now her boyfriend is dead and she needs to tell the truth to someone, even if nobody believes her. She promises to be completely honest in her retelling of what happened, even letting you in on the lies she told to other people -- but never to you, of course.
This book was really interesting, although not quite what I had been expecting going in. I do admit it kept me hooked, though. Something about seeing the table of contents with the three parts -- "Telling the Truth," "Telling the True Truth," "The Actual Real Truth" -- and Micah's voice in some parts of the story just kept me reading, needing to know what really happened.
And there were some great aspects of this book. Namely, Micah's lying was done well. It created some unexpected twists and really added something different to the story. It also had such an impact on her voice, and I loved how she talked to the reader. There was something so great and real about that. One time I remember pretty vividly is when she flat out says something like, You believe everything. You're so gullible. I really wish I had highlighted that quote to share, because it was great. It was a great reminder of how unreliable Micah's voice really was here.
There was also the thing with Micah's "family illness" that I would have preferred to go without. Of course I won't be giving spoilers, so I can't get into this aspect so much -- but I didn't expect this at all going into the book, and I probably would have stayed away if I had known. It just seemed a bit too ridiculous to me, and it kind of confused me come the end of the story. Although, it does bring up a lot of questions and leaves a lot for the reader to interpret, which I feel conflicted about. I have a love/hate relationship with open endings, and this one definitely didn't wrap everything up neatly -- nor should it have. Ultimately, it's the reader's decision what they believe of Micah's story.
Overall, I have to say that I had my problems with this book -- but some aspects of it were so well done, and I found myself thinking about Micah and her story days after finishing the book. The compulsive liar aspect was spot on, and it was very impressive to see it in writing.