Family of liars by E. Lockhart

It is hard to convey how much of a hit E. Lockhart’s young adult psychological mystery, We Were Liars, was when it was published in 2014. The novel received widespread critical acclaim and spent thirteen weeks in the New York Times Bestseller List top ten for young adult novels. Critics and readers alike praised the book for its meticulous plotting, atmospheric tone and complex characters. Considering the ending, it may have seemed like it would be impossible for Lockhart to craft another story featuring the Sinclair family. She has succeeded however with Family of Liars, a prequel that predates the events of We Were Liars by almost three decades.

We meet the Sinclair girls again as teenagers in 1987. It is summer and the whole family has, as usual, decamped to their private island near Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The novel is told through the eyes of Carrie, the oldest Sinclair daughter, and tells the story of a family frozen with unspoken grief after the death of the youngest, Rosemary, the summer before. Carrie and her sisters, their parents, uncle and cousins, go through the motions like it is any normal vacation. But trouble is brewing. Three teenage boys unexpectedly arrive on the island and disturb the already fragile and fraught situation.

What follows is another ethereal and dreamlike narrative where the reader is not quite sure who is lying, what they are lying about and why. While not as spectacular as We Were Liars, Family of Liars is a worthy prequel. It is moving story of grief and the complexities of families, no matter how privileged they may seem. Be warned however that the novels must be read in publication order as Family of Liars contains multiple spoilers.

Themes: Mystery, Family, Sisters, Romance, Identity, Grief.

Rose Tabeni