Liar -- Justine Larbalestier

Well then. This one isn't going to be easy to write about.

Because it's rather hard to say anything at all without giving something important away.

As the title indicates, Micah is a Liar. Now, after the violent death of her boyfriend, she's determined to tell you, the reader, the truth. No matter how many times she has to back up and start again.

Here's the not-even-vague-spoilers deal: The hype is accurate. Liar is a fantastic book. Quite often, the more something is lauded, the less I end up liking it, because my expectations end up getting heightened, heightened, heightened to nearly impossible-to-achieve levels. This was one of those rare cases in which, for me, the praise has all been completely justified. I loved it. I thought it was outstanding, outstanding, outstanding. The writing, the plotting, the characterization, the pacing, the format, the newness of it. Lately I've been feeling a little bit burnt on the YA, but this one has rejuvenated me. No exaggerations.

So. If you tend to like the same books as I do, skip the rest of this post, put it on hold at your library or local bookstore or wherever, and make the time to read it when it's officially released next Tuesday. And then come back here and read the rest of the post and tell me what you think in the comments. If you want or need to read more, or if you aren't worried about even vague spoilers, feel free to keep reading.

I loved Liar. That is not to say that everyone will love Liar. As I said, though, what I say next may verge on spoilery, however nebulous, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SKIP THE REST OF THIS POST (INCLUDING THE COMMENTS, BECAUSE I SUSPECT THERE WILL BE CONVERSATION) IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS. I don't want to ruin anything for anyone.

Note that these issues are in no way mine -- I just think that others may have them. 

Possible Issue #1: I think that some people will not like the huge twist. The cover flap and the cover art don't hint at it, not even remotely. And sometimes that sort of thing upsets people. I mean, of course, neither is going to give it away totally -- but this is such a serious total blindside of a twist that there's no way that everyone will be happy with it. 

That said, it isn't that Micah doesn't prepare the reader for it in her own way. While I didn't literally think, "Oh, I know what's going on here", there were moments before the Big Reveal in which Micah revealed what seemed like more than she meant to. And I had a vague notion. Not anything specific, but a vibe. What I'm saying is that if it's a blindside of a twist, it's because of the perceptions of the reader, not because of any cheating on the author's part. There are the mysteries in which the author gives you all of the clues you need, and there are the mysteries in which the author makes it impossible by holding everything vital back -- Justine Larbalestier and Micah give you the clues you need to put it together before Part Two begins. It'll be an excellent re-read, the same way that The Sixth Sense was an excellent re-watch. (And, NO, I'm not saying that Micah sees dead people. Yeesh.)

Possible Issue #2: The ending. With a title like Liarand a narrator like Micah, there's no way I would expect any sort of wrapped-up-with-a-bow, 'kay-guys-this-is-the-truth-for-reals-FOR-REALS sort of ending. But I think that many readers would like that and will want that and who may hold that against the book. But, guess what? It's Justine Larbalestier's book, and it's Micah's story, and that's just the way it is. For me, the ending worked, and worked well. I thought it was in keeping with the rest of the book, and that it felt right.

AGAIN: IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS, DON'T READ THE COMMENTS.

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Previously:

Magic or Madness
How to Ditch Your Fairy
First Kiss (Then Tell)

On the cover:

JL on the Liar cover.
Bloomsbury has announced new cover for Liar.

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Book source:  Review copy from the publisher.

Comments

[Heather]

I admit, I didn't read most of your review, as I have this pre-ordered and can't wait to read it. I did read enough to see that you rather enjoyed it :) I'll come back after I read it!

[Leila]

Oh good! Because I want to know what other people think of it and I want to talk about it WITH people instead of just babbling inanely to myself!

[Laura]

I'm glad you loved this. I read it as an ARC in May and was totally blindsided by the twist. I knew something was coming, but never would have guessed what it was. Because it's the kind of twist I believe publishers would want to highlight to sell more books. (If I had known about the twist, Liar would have been higher up on my Want list because that twist is one of my favorite things.) So good job on the publishers/early reviewers for managing not to spill that twist in any way. I'm also really glad I didn't know what the twist was because when it was revealed I was relieved, confused and pleasantly surprised and became even more invested in the character and story.

I agree that Liar was terrific. I haven't read anything like it ever, so I put How to Ditch Your Fairy on my to-buy list (it's out in paperback next week) even though I assume it's very different from Liar. I usually don't like it when books end the way Liar ended. In this case, I felt the writing was so strong and the "journey" so interesting, that the end didn't matter too much. For me, it wasn't a book that depended heavily on its ending to be satisfying. Once I was into the second part of the book, I decided I wanted to believe what she was telling me in that second part, even if she admitted she was lying about it.

[libraryliz]

Purposefully skipping any spoilery-spoiledness...I'll be back when I have read it. Which is to say, after I have bought it & ignored all my paralegal homework to finish it!

[Heather Doss]

I'm with you on this one. I read the galley back in the spring & loved the story (though disliked the original cover) including the twist. It does make it difficult to describe to people without giving it away. To me, it's one of those books you read & recommend to friends by saying "seriously, just read it - it's awesome".

[Jeanne]

Having just read Villette for the first time, I'm speculating that the big twist is something like the twist in that one, where Lucy, the narrator, lies to the reader and pretends it's a lie of omission. But it will be fun to find out if it's genuinely something new in fiction.

[joanna]

I was losing patience with Liar until the twist. I was worn out by the back and forth of the storytelling and Micah's constant revision of events. But when the twist came I was instantly revived and read the rest of the novel quickly. I think I was surprised by the exact twist, but I knew something odd was coming. Up until that point, Liar seemed like a complete departure from Justine's other novels (not that HTDYF is exactly like the Magic trilogy, but they both have fantasy). So the twist, for me, was a great reveal and made me think, "Yes! This is a Justine Larbalestier book."

I'm still a little irked about the ending because I do want some kind of answer. But this is a good thing. I'm still thinking about this book and it's been over a month. I am looking forward to discussing this with a teen book group.

Also, kudos to early reviewers and bloggers for keeping this one a secret even with all of the publicity about the botched cover.