Book review: Liar, Justine Larbalestier
I just finished reading Justine Larbalestier‘s latest book Liar, and: wow. It was awesome.
The slippery story is narrated by Micah, a 17-year-old New Yorker and high-school student who’s a compulsive liar… or so it would seem. Her boyfriend has been brutally killed, and because you can’t trust anything Micah says it’s tricky to get a clear picture of the incidents that led up to the murder.
The first half of Liar is really compelling, but there’s a huge twist midway through that I did not see coming – one that totally shifts the tone of the whole story. It’s brilliantly done. I’m not going to reveal what it is, because uncovering it yourself will drop your jaw all over the floor. Suffice to say you should avoid all spoilers if you intend to read this book.
There’s tonnes of interesting stuff going on here about identity, sexuality and the nature of truth and lies. I’ve only read one of Justine’s other books (Magic or Madness; I started How to Ditch Your Fairy, but it was a bit young for me), but Liar was just on a whole different level.
Tags: books, Justine Larbalestier, Liar
