My review will follow the publisher’s blurb
From the New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10 and In a Dark, Dark Wood—a novel about the slipperiness of truth and the price of friendships.
“I need you.” Three small words that change everything.
Isa Wilde knows something terrible has happened when she receives this text from an old friend. Why else would Kate summon her and their two friends Thea and Fatima to the seaside town where they briefly attended school together seventeen years ago?
The four friends first met at Salten House boarding school, where they quickly bonded over The Lying Game, a risky contest that involved tricking fellow boarders and faculty with their lies. But the game had consequences, and the girls were eventually expelled after Kate’s dad, their beloved art teacher, mysteriously disappeared. Forever bound by their lies but needing to forget their past, they went their separate ways—Kate remaining in Salten while the other three left to start new lives in and around London.
Now reunited, Isa, Kate, Thea, and Fatima discover that their past lies had far-reaching effects and criminal implications that threaten them all. In order to protect their reputations, and their friendship, they must uncover the truth about what really happened all those years ago.
Atmospheric, twisty, with just the right amount of chill, The Lying Game will have readers at the edge of their seats, not knowing who can be trusted in this tangled web of lies.
Most of us have done it at some time or another. Whether as innocent, deceptive or little; in the end, a lie is a lie is a lie.
There are a lot of reviews out there comparing The Lying Game to Ware’s previous two publications. There is a part of me that wanted something similar to Cabin 10, craving that same claustrophobic rush. But on the other hand, as an artist always wanting to push your creativity and explore new horizons, I love what Ruth Ware did with The Lying Game.
I’ll admit, half way through the novel I still wasn’t sure how I was feeling about the pace. Then I realized that this isn’t the same read as Cabin 10. I stepped back and understood that Ware was giving me more of a character study and an exploration into human nature. Don’t get me wrong, I still found suspense, drama and a “who-done-it” vibe that kept me reading. After realizing I needed to change my viewpoint, I enjoyed The Lying Game even more.
Isa was somewhat of a plain character, I didn’t mind her being somewhat bland however I would have enjoyed hearing from the other women involved in all this dishonesty. Getting back to Isa’s character; I tend to enjoy characters that irk me. The setting of Salten House was right up my alley as well.
The novel shows how lies fester, how they never really go away and how they influence the rest of our lives. Ware brings us a complexity of layers and tests the boundaries of family and friendship.
As the blurb says :
Atmospheric – √
Twisty – √
Just the right amount of chill – √
I really enjoyed The Lying Game and continue to look forward to reading more from Ruth Ware.
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
Published by Simon & Schuster
384 pages
ISBN 9781501151804
Available Now !
An advanced copy of The Lying Game was provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
