Saturday 24 May 2014

We Were Liars, E Lockhart


Pages: 225
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Release Date: 15th May 2014
Edition: UK paperback, purchased

Other Titles by this Author: The Boyfriend List, The Boy Book, The Treasure Map of Boys, Real Life Boyfriends, Fly on the Wall, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, How to Be Bad

We are liars

We are beautiful and privileged

We are cracked and broken

A tale of love and romance

A tale of tragedy

Which are lies?

Which is truth?

You decide

SPOILER FREE, I PROMISE!

Everyone in the book world has been talking about We Were Liars for months. My pre-order finally arrived earlier this week and I settled down on my day off to discover all of its secret. And boy they were good.

Within a page of starting We Were Liars I was in love with the prose of the novel. It is so stunning, so mind-blowing that I can’t even settle on a word that encapsulates how I feel about E Lockhart’s writing in this novel. It’s just wow. The way that Cady’s emotions are described is so physical, visceral and violent that you can’t help but know exactly how and what she’s feeling. I’ve never read emotion in that way before and I think it’ll be difficult to go back to reading it the regular way.

There was a sense of poetry in the telling of the Liars’ story in the structure and individual style. The staggering of the lines, the choppiness and the repetition reminded me a little of EE Cummings, actually. There’s so much to say about the writing of this novel – there’s something spectacular on every page – that I really should stop...

So. Cady’s life as a privileged Sinclair is certainly interesting. I love stories of the high and mighty, the luxurious lifestyles and the incredible lengths that people will go to for money. And that was a huge part of We Were Liars. The entitlement, the dependence, the prejudice. It was a fascinating look at the world of America’s elite. I mean, they own a private island off the coast of Massachusetts, come on.

I’m going to stop there because I don’t want to give away a single thing about this novel. It’s completely woah and I know understand the hype. Run to your nearest bookshop, people. RUN.

Sophie

4 comments:

  1. I have only been hearing amazing things about We Were Liars and this review just sealed the deal for me. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. Glad you enjoyed it. Great Review :)

    - Sunny @ A Sunny Spot Blog

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  2. I am currently reading it and am not liking it so far. You make me want to continue on though, as do others' reviews on it.

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  3. Really glad you loved this one. It's brilliant!

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  4. I've been really concerned about reading this book as there's been so much hype around it and generally I get disappointed, but this review has got me really interested. I may have to get myself a copy :)
    Kyra (The Review List)

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