We Were Liars | E. Lockhart

The Plot

We Were Liars is a suspense novel that follows the story of Cadence Sinclair and her wealthy family as she tries to piece together what happened to her during summer fifteen at the family’s private island. The novel deals with themes of privilege, self-acceptance, and family competition as Cadence confronts the damage of wealth on her family’s relationships and the reality of consequences.

The Review

Since this is a suspense novel, I won’t be giving anything away. Lockhart writes with such cleverness that it would be a crime to spoil such a wonderful book.

The first thing I have to compliment is the writing style. We Were Liars is unlike anything I’ve ever read, and the narrative voice pulled me right into the Sinclair family’s wealth and status though I have no experience with those things in real life. Cadence narrates the novel with such an intimate personality that I felt as if I truly knew her at the end of the read. I haven’t read any of Lockhart’s other works yet, but it seems to me in this one that she has a wonderful hold on voice.

Suspense novels are not my typical read, but I came across this one on Google when I was looking for a new YA and I have to say, it blew me out of the water. I read the whole thing over the course of two or three days and every time I had to take a break I couldn’t wait to get back to reading. By the time I hit the climax I was so invested that I finished the rest of it in a single sitting. I then immediately called my brother in tears because it was such an intense experience. My crying was totally nonsensical, of course, but it was so well executed that it felt transformative to read.

The most enjoyable part of this book, apart from the stellar plot, was the language. The way Lockhart describes her characters is quite unique, and the language is so immersive I found myself losing time while reading this book.

The theme of privilege was strong throughout and I thought it had very intricate relationships and politics as the siblings squabbled over the family fortune. The dynamic in a wealthy family is not completely foreign, but money and power add unique struggles that Lockhart deals with in both sympathetic and critical ways. Simply put, by the end of the novel I had a lot to think about.

The one thing I will say about the plot that is not spoiler-y is that this novel does exactly what you want a suspense novel to do: I was shocked when I reached the climax, but as I looked back I could see all the bread crumbs that were leading the story to that point. Any surprising elements did their job with expertise, but they didn’t seem out of the blue.

I highly recommend this read. See it on Kindle or Goodreads for more information.