REVIEW: WE WERE LIARS, BY E. LOCKHART

 

Cadence Sinclair Eastman is the narrator of our story. A tale of privilege and exuberant youth. And of the secrets and lies that were the essence of their fifteenth summer on their idyllic island off the coast of Massachusetts. Called Beechwood, it was a retreat for Harris Sinclair, his wife Tipper, who subsequently died, and their three daughters: Penelope, Bess, and Carrie. After their mother’s death, the daughters fight relentlessly, hoping for a bigger piece of the inheritance. Their drunken quarrels fuel some of what would later transpire.

Cadence and three other teens made up The Liars. They were Mirren, Johnny, and Gat. Gat was not one of the cousins, but the nephew of Carrie’s boyfriend Ed. His Indian heritage would be cause for concern for Harris. But for Cady, he is her love. She cannot imagine her life without him.

The story unfolds in the seventeenth summer on the island, as Cady tries to remember what happened during that fifteenth summer, when she was injured, and for which she still pays with migraines and other evidence of malaise.

Nobody will tell her what happened, but in the voices of the others (Mirren, Johnny, and Gat), she begins to piece it all together.

We Were Liars was a quick read with short chapters that built intensely toward the finale and a stunning reveal, changing everything we thought we knew about the characters. 5.0 stars.