Everyone is dead.

Cloe Amaral
Blog #2


We Were Liars
E. Lockhart

          Picture this: You have been in a mysterious accident. You have memory loss and have no idea what has happened. Your family won't help you remember. When you finally remember, everyone you've ever loved is gone.
          The main character of We Were Liars by E Lockhart, Cady, is going through this exact thing. This is the story of a girl who has been broken and is trying to put the pieces back together. Don't want the story to be spoiled? Refer to my first blog post, How’d it happen? from 10/31/17, for the first half of the story.
          An accident, a secret, true love, four friends, and lies upon lies. In case you forgot, Cady is the eldest granddaughter of a very rich family. Every year, the family, including four best friends, the Liars, spend their summer on a private island, where the grandparents have built four houses for themselves and their three daughters. They are best friends and two, Gat and Cady, are in love. After Cady’s accident, she doesn’t know what happened and the Liars or anyone can’t help her remember, "I suppose that I was raped or attacked or some godforsaken something. That's the kind of thing that makes people have amnesia, isn't it?” As it turns out, it was not what she thought happened. The Liars all set fire to one of the houses and it burned down. Who survived? Has Cady been talking to ghosts all summer? Why did she think she hit her head in the ocean? You’ll have to go to the library and find out for yourself.
          The book is compelling, clever, and suspenseful in plot and writing style. The characters are not picture perfect how they seem on the outside. The main character Cady may not be sure of herself or who she is, but she is sure of her feelings, as she says lovingly, “it true. We already love each other. We already do” (24). I like how the descriptions are not sugar-coated, but tell it how it is. Lockhart uses vivid detail and interesting word choice to let each character have a voice. She makes it so you can really imagine what is happening, saying “I tore all the roses off a single sad bush and threw them, one after the other into the angry sea” (16). I was very interested in the storyline and the element of mystery and suspense the book has while also containing drama and love. My favorite part is when the secret is finally revealed. It is really the heart of the book, it turns out to be more shocking than anything I had imagined and it was really unexpected. I like how Lockhart doesn’t give too many clues as to what happened so it is still full of surprises until the very last word.
          This book really has it all. If you are interested in love, drama, pain, suspense, surprises, family conflict, mystery, and/or sadness, you will find it with We Were Liars. I would recommend this book to any age who wants a little bit more of a surprising read that will keep you turning the pages. If you get annoyed at books that don’t have a happy ending, you might want to steer clear of this but still give it a try. As someone who does not read in their free time and doesn’t usually enjoy books, I liked this book a lot. In other books there is too much imagery to the point where I can’t understand what’s happening, but in this book there is just enough so you get a vivid picture in your head without being confused. It goes into the lives of the family and other secondary characters while revolving around the mystery of the summer. I rate this book ⅘ stars and i would read it again.