Thursday, January 28, 2010

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Book review #15
Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Rating: Five stars(refer to the rating system on the right)

Summary:(taken from Goodreads) 
Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents, and she’s always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it possible to tell the truth when lying comes as naturally as breathing? Taking readers deep into the psyche of a young woman who will say just about anything to convince them—and herself—that she’s finally come clean, Liar is a bone-chilling thriller that will have readers see-sawing between truths and lies right up to the end. Honestly.

I just finished reading Liar a few minutes ago and I have to say I'm left feeling breathless, overwhelmed and almost exhausted from being on Micah's roller coaster of lies. I've never read a book like Liar, honestly it was a breath of fresh air. Before reading this book you have to understand that Micah is a liar, you can't trust anything she says, she will lie about telling the truth, and she will lie about lying. I kind of wish I kept that in mind more while I was reading the book. I'm a very gullible person and tend to believe most things, so I got a little confused.

The book is divided into different sections all revolved around Zach's death. Micah describes the times before Zach( her after hours boyfriend) died, after he died, then adds in "family history". At first, I almost questioned if Zach was even her boyfriend! Along with Micah's illness for lying, the book focuses on how Zach really died. Aside from the subchapters there are three parts to the book. Part one is titled Telling the Truth except that she doesn't tell the whole truth.The clues build up, so that in part two: Telling the True Truth, her biggest secret isn't so hard to believe.You easily find yourself torn between the truth. At times I even found myself questioning if small details, that should be true, were lies. This might sound confusing, but the more Micah lied and told us she was being truthful, the easier it was to believe her. The last part, The Actual Real Truth, is where some of your questions are answered, and the "truth" is revealed. I have to admit, while reading some of her confessions, my mouth literally dropped open! 

Micah is a fascinating, strong main character. I loved how she literally "talked" to you, as well as her "reasoning" for her lies. I have to warn you at the end of the book, it's up to the you to decide whether or not Micah's telling the truth. The only complain I could come up with about Liar, is the journey of doubting and second guessing myself the whole time, but then again that just made it that much more interesting. Liar is a suspenseful thriller that will leave you at the edge of your seat. I'm happy to say that Liar is a book that stays with you long after you read it.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I "enjoyed" it as well. I still don't know what to believe!

Anonymous said...

So intriguing! I want to read this now...

Emidy @ Une Parole said...

Wow, this seems so great! I've heard about this book but I had no idea it was a thriller. Definitely taking this one out from the library when I see it there!

Emidy
Une Parole

Jessica Love said...

I'm not going to read your review because I want to go into this book knowing NOTHING, but I'm glad to see you loved it! I'm excited to read it!

Dana said...

Ooh, a really interesting concept, I'm not sure if reading this book would be enjoyable or frustrating! Definitely going to keep my eye out for it!

Stephanie said...

This book is on my shelf, but I haven't read it yet. You definitely have me even more intrigued!

Brittany said...

I enjoyed this as well but found that the only way to understand it was to not trust Micah at all. Whenever she told me something I had to really work towards not believing it until the end, and even still.

ck.twilighter (Chasity) said...

Wow... this is the first review I have read on this book despite seeing it EVERYWHERE because of the cover controversy.
I must admit that if I ever pick up the book I will be glad to have read your review because I probably would get annoyed fast.

Mahalo for the honest review!


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