“Once upon a time there were three soldiers, tramping together down the roads after the war.
Once upon a time there were three little pigs.
Once upon a time there were three brothers.
No, this is it. This is the variation I want.Once upon a time there was a king who had three beautiful daughters.”
This is a book about privilege.
This is a book about a crime.
This is a book about first love.
Or then again, maybe it’s not.
The year that the Liars turned fifteen began like any other - filled with chocolate fudge and scrabble and sunbaking, but when Cadence is found injured on the beach, with no memory of the tragedy that has befallen her, her life begins to unravel. How many secrets are her family keeping from her, and why will nobody answer her questions about that night?
We Were Liars is a young adult suspense novel, focusing on the summers of the Liars’ fifteenth and seventeenth birthdays. Cadence, the story’s narrator, returns to the island two years after her accident, with a plan to piece her memory back together. Suffering from migraines that leave her bedridden for days, she begins to build a web of information in her bedroom. As slices of past events and lost conversations slowly begin to return, it is clear that Cadences’ memories are not merely missing - they are fractured. The book’s flirtation with mental illness is not explored deeply enough to warrant a special mention, but it is interesting to see the role that it plays within the narrative (especially encouraging is the lack of prejudice shown by most of the characters in regards to Cadences’ ailments).
Cadence is an unreliable narrator – this much is true. Her recollection of the events that unfurled over ‘summer fifteen’ cannot be taken at face value, and the novel’s audience, is made aware of this fact. “Don’t believe everything you read” is a common theme throughout the book and yet in spite of the title, none of the main characters are shown to be overly flamboyant with the truth. In fact, the only obvious liar in the story is Cadences’ Grandfather, Harris, who, in retaliation to his daughters’ incessant bickering, begins to double cross his grandchildren.
Although an enjoyable (and seriously easy) read, We Were Liars offers little in the way of a plot. The entire story is told through Cadences’ flashbacks as she begins to remember her past, most of which are irrelevant to the initial accident and serve instead as a kind of plot-filler. The main characters, Cadence, Johnny, Mirren, and Gat, as well as the extended Sinclair family, are one-dimensional and spend the majority of the novel trying not to be ‘idle rich’ and boring. Gat‘s characterization attempts to serve as a contrast to the two Sinclair cousins as a socially frustrated and politically aware outsider, however his role as Cadence’s love interest soon eclipses any serious intentions. Gat challenges Cadence on her lack of awareness of the Sinclair wealth and lifestyle, reminding her that ‘most people’ don’t own their own islands – despite having holidayed with the family since infancy. Whilst it would be easy to dismiss the novels value based on its lack of character depth, it is important to remember that the central characters are all teenagers – none of them have reached maturity nor developed a sense of social consciousness, and they each display characteristics befitting those who have lived their lives upon a luxurious financial cushion. They are tolerable, but fail to leave any lasting impression.
The real highlights of We Were Liars are the dedication to the climax, and the novels writing style. While the Sincalirs may be stiff and cold, Cadence’s voice is not. The suspense is built from the first page, and whilst it is not difficult to predict the publicly praised ‘plot-twist’, younger readers will enjoy the reveal.
The less an audience knows about We Were Liars, the more it will be enjoyed, especially by fans of young adult literature and all those who love to be surprised.