The Lies They Tell

The Lies They Tell

YA/adult fiction
Recall how thrilled I was with Gillian French's debut novel,
Grit? French dared to expose the hypocricy of a society that claims
to be classless, full of opportunity for all, while making it harder
for folks not born with the proverbial silver spoon and then blaming
the challenges they face on lack of intelligence and laziness rather
than, say, poverty wage jobs and lack of affordable housing. Her
Darcy Prentiss had come back to a summer job of blueberry raking for
lack of a better option. She certainly held her own in a town where
the social elite wrote her off as trailer park trash. That was the
book I wish had been around when my own trailer park (in a snobby
town) kids were teens.
Recall I was waiting to see what French would come up with
next? The Lies They Tell is well worth the wait. French ushers
readers into the world of the the ultrarich who summer in coastal
resort towns and the folks who wait on them and clean for them, a
group they fail to see as human individuals or even sentient beings.
On a close to Christmas snowy evening Pearl Haskins had been
waiting tables at the Tenney's Harbor Country Club. The Garrison
family had been seated in her section.
"Tristan Garrison was absent; Pearl noted it as surely as
everyone else in the dining room. Whispers had been circulating
around the club for a week: the Garrisons were opening their Tenney's
Harbor home for the holidays, a first. Now one of their remarkable
children was missing."
That night Pearl had had a hard time falling asleep. She'd
kissed her best friend/crush, Reese, under peer pressure. He'd gone
on to leave with her rival. She was sure she'd made a total fool of
herself.
"At the same time, on the other side of Tenney's Harbor, the
Garrisons were burning in their beds."
The body of the story starts six months later. They have been
hard ones for Pearl. Her father had been in the gatekeeper's cottage
the night of the fire. Rumors flew that it happened on his watch
because he was drunk. Many of his clients have dropped him. His
battle with the bottle seems to be a losing one.
Tristan has returned to the island for the summer, shunned by
former family friends and acquaintances who wonder why he's back.
Despite his credible alibi for the night of the fire, he's under a
cloud of suspicion. People suspect that, in regard to the deaths of
his parents and siblings, he's not so innocent.
One of Tristan's wingmen, Bridges, takes a quite unlikely
interest in Pearl, drawing her into his ritzy social scene. She learns
that the Garrisons were not the picture perfect family people had
perceived. Perhaps daughter Cassidy had known the killer's identity.
Maybe she'd left a clue before her untimely demise. What will happen
to Pearl if she gets too close to the truth?
Not to mention, how will her being seen with the rich boys of
summer effect her relationship with Reese? Will her father see her
chumming around those who have used and abused year round residents
seemingly forever as an ultimate betrayal?
The Lies They Tell combines a spell binding mystery with a
distinctive and memorable voice. It's number one on my top ten picks
from my summer reading.
I've discovered that French has another book in print (which
I've ordered by ILL) and one coming out next year. And she lived just
a few towns away! Who knows? Maybe before other reviews of her work
I can leverage my blog to get to actually talk to her. A girl can
only dream...
...and do what it takes to make her dream come true.
On a personal note, the weather is becoming delightful--not so hot and
muggy. It's so good to see friends I haven't seen all summer. I got
to decorate a white coffee mug at UMaine. I chose silver, purple, and
two shades pink nail polish. A girl put them in water. Then I
swirled the water and dunked the mug. It came out beautiful.
Everyone agreed--even Anna. I love those UMaine surprises!
jules hathaway




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