Lies, Loss, and Love

I think most everyone has heard the buzz about this book by now. And if you haven't, you're reading about it now! I find this novel hard to summarily describe, so I will use the words of its author, E. Lockhart, instead. These are some of the bits and pieces of his original book proposal to his editor: "[This is] a book about memory loss. And plain old loss. And recovery. It's a book about privilege and money, the way they can warp people and rip families apart -- and the drastic steps some self-righteous kids might take to free themselves of the tyranny of material possessions." These rather vague descriptions perfectly encompass just what this novel deals with without giving its major plot twist away. As to my opinion about said plot twist and the book overall, I definitely enjoyed it. I can see what all of the hype is about, and I appreciate why so many people have set to sharing it with their reading communities. It deals with white privilege, fierce obstinacy, a grief-stricken family, illusioned grief, and the strangely idyllic Beachwood Island of Cadence Sinclair Eastman, her cousins, Johnny and Mirren, and her lover, Gat. I appreciated the distinct time that Lockhart took to develop his key themes and how he used physical things, like the island and its houses, as symbols. The integration of Cadence's symbolic stories was also incredibly instrumental to the unfolding of the plot for me. I loved how they subtly revealed the emotions that she couldn't seem to work out verbally.
At first, I didn't know if I liked the writing style all that much; it is very prose like and lacks the heavy description I am used to in my usual fantasy novels. But upon reaching the end, I realized that this particular style was not only necessary for the type of story being told, but very intricately crafted. It reminds me of Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, now that I think of it. I also appreciated having the story told from the point of view of Cadence, who is most certainly an unreliable narrator; I love narrators like this because I have to constantly evaluate whether I can completely trust the information I am being given.
Now, my one main disappointment has to do with the plot twist. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing turn that I thought I had figured out but was still genuinely surprised by. It's the fall out from the big reveal that left something to be desired in my eyes. There is one particular scene that had me pretty emotional as all of the puzzle pieces fit together, but then the story proceeded to end. It felt a little abrupt. Luckily, my copy has some bonus content like notes and maps from the author that made the ending feel a little less cut off. So I most certainly consider this to be a very enjoyable, complex, and carefully written book with great character development and writing. I highly suggest seeking out the bonus content I was able to read, as it really adds to the story. I definitely think I will have to reread this novel to fully take in all of the details I missed upon my initial reading.



Some of my favorite quotes from We Were Liars:

"One day I looked at Gat, lying in the Clairmont hammock with a book, and he seemed, well, like he was mine. Like he was my particular person."

"Someone once wrote that a novel should deliver a series of small astonishments. I get the same thing spending an hour with you."

"One day, she ventured to the palace library and was delighted to find what good company books could be."

"For a moment, the two of us were alone on the planet, with all the vastness of the sky and the future and the past spreading out around us."

"What if we could stop being different colors, different backgrounds, and just be in love?"

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