I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Lies We Told by Camilla Way Published by Penguin on October 9, 2018
Genres: Crime, Fiction, Psychological, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher
From a young age, Beth knew there was something wrong with her daughter, Hannah. She experienced no emotion, lacked the ability to develop friendships and seemed to find pleasure in hurting others. Beth knows that she should take Hannah to get professional help. While it may help curb her destructive and dangerous behavior, she fears that Hannah may reveal the secret she overheard. The truth can't be discovered, for it would mean the end of their lives as they knew it.
Luke and Clara have a seemingly perfect relationship. Luke comes from an idyllic family and showers Clara with love and affection. One day, however, he disappears without a trace. The police leads dwindle, so Clara and Luke's best friend embark upon their own investigation. Thinking Luke's disappearance may be tied to a hurt and bitter former girlfriend, they delve into his past and Clara soon learns that Luke isn't quiet as perfect as he seemed. Now his life is in danger because of the secrets he and his family once kept. They must find him before revenge deals a deadly blow.
There is a lot going in this thriller! Told in two different points of view, that of Beth in the past and Clara in the present. At the onset, it isn’t apparent that the two stories are intertwined. The author does an expert job at curating and building up the individual storylines, but quite compelling and engaging in their own. It’s when they start to converge, and the multitude of secrets are revealed, that I began to struggle.
The effect of lies on relationship is a common theme in fiction. Yes, everyone lies to some extent, but in the case of this title, EVERYONE lies and they aren’t little fibs either. Unreliable narrators are an effective tool when used properly, but in this case, I felt it was a little overused. Nearly everyone had secrets they were keeping from one another. Some were revealed as the plot advanced and seemed natural given the feel of this read. Then, there were excessive ones that felt unnecessary that didn’t add any value to the overall reading experience. Does this deter from the overall reading experience? Perhaps not, but it’s certainly something that lingered in my mind as I read. Additionally, the lack of police involvement in many aspects of Luke’s disappearance , requiring Clara to solve the case herself, seemed a little far-fetched and unbelievable.
All this said, I wouldn’t denounce this as an engaging read. The author certainly has a way of captivating her readers with the characters she’s developed. Independently, each storyline independently could have made truly outstanding thrillers! Hannah’s character reminded me a lot of the child in Baby Teeth! Together, both storylines are quite a lot, but engaging nonetheless.
