e. lockhart’s Family of Liars is the prequel to the 2014 favourite, We Were Liars.
While We Were Liars has recently become a BookTok sensation, it has been making waves on Bookstagram and BookTube since its release almost a decade ago. Family of Liars takes readers back to the 80s to live the story of another summer, in another generation, and the secrets that will haunt a family for decades to come. PSA that while this is a prequel to We Were Liars, the first line of this book is apparently a massive spoiler for that book, so it is NOT SAFE to read this first unless you are carefree vis-à-vis spoilers. You definitely don’t need any prior knowledge from WWL to understand this one though.
A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts.
A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.
A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy.
A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.
Welcome back to the Sinclair family.
They were always liars.
“Don’t pretend you would never hurt anybody.”
Friends, this book was a RIDE. It was my first excursion into e. lockhart’s work, and it’s definitely got me intrigued to read more!
We follow the Sinclair family through the eyes of eldest daughter, Carrie, over one long summer on their family’s private island (casual). The framing device for the story is Carrie telling someone the worst thing she and her sisters did in their youth, so the knowledge that something bad is coming keeps an element of mystery running throughout the novel, but ultimately this is more of a character piece. It is a snapshot of terrible people doing terrible things in a beautiful place, filtered through the eyes of an incredibly unreliable narrator, and it is GLORIOUS.
“It’s joy,’ said Tipper. ‘I aim to live a joyful life, Carrie. And I think you should, too. I think maybe you’ve lost track of that, a little.”
This explores the strain of growing up in a privileged family and the many strings attached to your silver spoon. It looks at sisterly love, and the things that test and strengthen those bonds. It is a snapshot of first love, and first heartbreak.
This book reads like a summer holiday. There are long, lazy stretches that meander amongst the characters and read like a hazy summer memory. But there is always a hint of darkness, like a violent summer storm threatening to break. It’s not high action. It’s not plot-heavy. It’s a laser-focused character study. Even though you may not like them – I certainly didn’t – it relies on you becoming invested in their lives and relationships. And that is certainly where it shines.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this and gave it 4/5 stars. The writing and character work was excellent, but it does lose one star for a plot point I found lazy.
How cute is this box of goodies?
