We Were Liars

 

We Were Liars

by E. Lockhart

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

"Johnny, he is bounce, effort and snark. Mirren, she is sugar, curiosity and rain. Gat, he was contemplation and enthusiasm. Ambition and strong coffee".

The book is unique. Perhaps it is all I need to say.

From the setting to the well-thought Sinclair family tree, the covered subjects, and the way the book is narrated; it is unique. The story is perfectly thought about, and I believe E. Lockhart made an amazing job entering you into the story. It is also a page-turner, fast-paced book; however, the story can get complicated. 

The narration of the book changes some chapters. Some chapters are from the past, others are a reminder of who the Sinclair family is, some are e-mails, some in the present, some stories, some exaggerated detailing about migraines. The chapters themselves are not very long. Some people do not like this about the book, yet I do. It does get confusing at some point, especially with the exaggerated migraine detailing. It also gets gory, so I would like to warn you about that. 

I would also like to point out that at the beginning, all the names seem very confounding. But do not worry, the author made a great job making you understand and learn them very quickly. I know the whole Sinclair family tree by heart.

A book like this will not be neither loved nor hated by all. I've seen some positive reviews and some negative ones. But this is a work I do recommend, firstly to young people, since at some points, it helps dream. The Sinclair family has their own private island, full of golden retrievers, with houses called Windemere and Clairmont, tasty snacks, beaches, and beautiful details about romantic moments. The aesthetic of the book is beautiful, I love it. Besides, the book points out very important topics such as racism, inequality, drug addiction, PTSD, and privilege.

Secondly, I recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading books with a shock factor. We are in the possession of an unreliable narrator - who doesn't like one once in a while? But I will not say more. I will let you find out.

Promise I didn't lie.

THE DEEP REVIEW - CONTAINS SPOILERS

I fell in love with the scenery, as I mentioned earlier. All the things the Sinclair family got to do and see in their summer made me jealous. Imagine having an entire island for your family! Going swimming, hiking, playing tennis, eating delicious snacks, all disconnected from the outside world. Cadence stated Beechwood was a different world, and I truly felt a part of it. 

With the characters? Not so much.

The only character I can truly say I completely liked was Gat. Of course, he was not a Sinclair. I understand not having strong ideas and not realizing important stuff about the world is normal when you're a kid; however, even when the Liars were 15 (an age where teenagers start maturing), the only completely down-to-earth was him. Mirren and Johnny were very important, but they lacked that vision of the world, and Cady lacked it as well. They were written that way because they did not need it. The privilege came out. Gat had important ideas. Gat thought. And they would not even listen to him. Even when Cady said she did, she shrugged it off. 

Another thing about Gat: he would not stay quiet about things that he thought were unequal. He would speak up about the racism he felt when others would have stayed quiet. I wish things had been different towards him. He did not deserve the treatment and the threats Harris threw at him. I just feel like Gat deserved better in every aspect. He was cultured, smart. He was contemplation and enthusiasm. Ambition and strong coffee.

I really admired when Johnny gave up his college funds with the whole Ed and Carrie situation. He did not want to follow the racist path his grandparent wanted to throw him on, and I respect that. He is bounce, effort and snark. Mirren was also a good cousin; extroverted, which I liked. She is sugar, curiosity and rain.

About Cadence: I cannot even begin to imagine how traumatic her situation must have been.  She was high a lot, had a lot of migraines, and hallucinated. However, she was insufferable sometimes. When Gat pointed out how she did not even know the names of the workers on the island, my perception of her changed. It made me realize how unaware she was. Imagine the feeling of superiority you must have to not know the name of the people who work to make your life 'comfortable' and calling them 'the help'. I also feel like Gat deserved better than her. 

And now, the 'villain', the 'king who had three beautiful princess daughters', Harris Sinclair: a shameless, racist old man. I understand he was starting to lose some grip of reality since Tipper died. But let's remember how he did not even bother calling Gat by his name, how he would take away Carrie's inheritance by marrying a man of color, how he had no trouble taking Johnny's fund for college by the sake of keeping only white people on his family. He enjoyed watching his family fight. He lacks empathy for others. Rich men who accept their privilege and use it to help others are admirable. He was none of it.

And for the accident: I will say I understood the intention. I was as sick as the Liars with the family fighting over the inheritance situation. If Clairmont disappeared, with all its expensive possessions, they could be a family again. But things go wrong. It was poorly planned and terribly executed. I felt so sorry for the Liars because they had a great future ahead of them. This part made me incredibly sensible. I feel sorry for Cady, who now has to go ahead with that guilt on her shoulders.

The moment where Johnny, Mirren, and Gat disappeared into the ocean was a literary moment I will not forget. 

They have told me they love me. I have noticed it in Gat's kiss. In Johnny's laugh. Mirren even screamed it to the sea.

For the writing: it is confusing, as I mentioned in the first review. I did not know if Cady actually struggled with self-harm or if the bleeding was another migraine-gory-detailed-writing. The first time, I really thought she was dying until I kept reading and realized she was not.

I like how we found out about things at the same time Cady remembered. I like how it is a shock at the end. I also like how some chapters are different than others. Some are small phrases, some stories. I liked the stories. 

Most especially, I liked the description of Gat and Cadence's kisses and their time together. It felt so magical. Simply my favorite part of the book. Though I read the book in Spanish and I have translated it, those moments went like this:

We looked at the sky. There were so many stars that it seemed like a celebration, a magnific and illicit party that the galaxy threw when humans went to bed.

Our kiss was electrifying and soft, tentative and sure, terrifying and impeccable. I felt the torrent of love that passed from me to Gat, and from Gat to me.

We were hot and we trembled, we were young and elderly, and we were alive.