Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.


In the beginning of this book, I was really afraid I wasn't going to like it. This was a book I got largely because of the hype, I didn't even know what it was about (which now that I've read it, I think it's the best way to read it, not knowing anything about it.) There were a lot of downfalls at the end and a bit into the middle. So much so, I wasn't entirely sure how much of the end could save the book for me.

There was too much information given all at once. It became confusing and during my reading, I had to flip back either to previously given information or to the very beginning where the map and family tree were illustrated. But I don't think I should have had to do that and it took a lot away having to leave my place int he story, put it on pause, just to be able to understand it.

I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, either. I prefer to feel immersed in a story and feel like I'm right alongside the character, experiencing what they're experiencing. But Lockhart's writing style makes it seem like you're watching them from the outside. This made it hard for me to get used to the story's writing and the book itself but I got used to it after a while.

There also feels as if there's a lot of missing information or plot holes. It doesn't really explain much and I understand it's a mystery novel but the information in my mind is simple. For example, why the title is what it is and why the group - the Liars - are called the way they are. The title of the Liars is a reoccurring name in the book but it's never explained and I was left with a nagging feeling of incomplete information throughout and after my reading.

Confusion on my part was a large part of the book. The way the writing style is, the descriptions themselves are confusing. It is filled with oxymorons and personification that just led me not knowing what was real and what wasn't. This same feeling was present when the book mixes past memories and present experiences. There really was no line differentiating or separating the two. So there were multiple parts where I thought I was reading something that was currently happening only to find out two or three chapters later that it was a memory. This was a huge downfall because it made the timeline - which is incredibly important to the story - so much harder to understand.

The plot was a mystery until really deep into the book - like a little more than halfway in. This was really annoying because it takes way too long to get into what the book was actually about while the beginning was confusing and borderline boring. However, you can feel the plot being built up when you get closer to the middle of the book and once that happens, the story starts picking up and it gets interesting.

The characters were a good part of the book. Their feelings and experiences are actually interesting. In the beginning portion, they're what makes you want to keep reading. By the end, it was easy and effortless to get emotionally connected.

Scattered throughout the last half of the book, there was an implementation of fairy tales to describe the perspective of the family and their situations. These help clarify the plot a lot, not that it was confusing near the end but it helped further. It also helped push the theme of truth and the variation of truth which I enjoyed so much.

The best parts of the book were all in the second half and the second half is why the rating I chose isn't bad. I think my favorite part of the story, hands down, and the portion that saved the book for me, was the dynamics. This includes the dynamics of love, of family. Socioeconomic and racial dynamics. These saved the book for me. They were so realistic and beautifully structured. Not only did they intertwine in with the plot perfectly but they made the book so much rawer and thought-provoking.

The mystery in the book was also so good. It was amazing in the way you could see everything slowly piling up but it was still hard to exactly pin point what the answer to the mystery was. It was not obvious and I, personally, did not see it coming. The uncovering of the mystery was also perfect. It was slow and then all at once. The pace was incredible and it held my attention throughout it. It was suspenseful and it made you want to keep reading and make your own theories.

Using symbolism throughout the book was a good decision. I think it was spot on, impactful, and really helped put everything together.

As I continued the book, trudged through the beginning, I realized that the plot and the writing style of the book made the events feel like a tv show. Which is a good thing.

The book was beautifully tragic and though it had a good number of undoings, it also made it up for it by other incredible salvations.