Family Of Liars

YA mystery 

     When my younger daughter, Katie, gave me a box of amazing looking chocolates I decided to save them for just the right book: one that would totally captivate me.  None of the very good books met that criteria...

     ...until E. Lockhart's Family Of Liars showed up in my Inter Library Loan stack.  It's the prequel to her 2014 critically acclaimed We Were Liars in which readers were introduced to the Sinclairs, a seemingly perfect family, able to spend entire summers on their idyllic looking private island, only to discover the decidedly sinister side of this golden clan.  Candace's quest for the truth about the accident that left her brain damaged is a chilling unravelling of the ugly truths behind carefully guarded secrets.

     In Family Of Liars we go back a generation to discover the longevity of the Sinclair secrecy and deception. 

     Narrator Carrie (Caroline) is the oldest daughter of Harris and Tipper Sinclair who live by the motto:  be a credit to the family.  Translation:  appearances are everything.  It extends beyond academics and athletics.  Harris has had extensive surgery done on Carrie to correct what he considers a weak jaw line, surgery that would become the gateway to an opiate addiction.  Of course emotions were to be carefully vetted.  No Sinclair should ever be caught looking depressed or despondent...

     ...even in the face of tragedy.  The youngest Sinclair child, Rosemary, had drowned the summer before.  To deeply stricken Carrie it seems like the rest of the family has moved on.  Tipper, hostess of the clan, has started in on the round of family festivities as though nothing is amiss.

     She's in for a surprise though.  Carrie's Uncle Dean and his kids, Yardly and Tomkin (Thomas), arrive with three unexpected teenage boys in tow.  George is Yardly's new boyfriend.  Major and Pfeff are his chums.

     Their arrival will portend more than increased cooking for Tipper and a heavier workload for the family's housekeeper.  Pfeff, by his own admission, makes very bad decisions.  This factor in regard to romance will pit two Sinclair sisters against each other.  Before the summer is over the unspeakable will have happened.

     If you're a We Are Liars fan be sure to read Family of Liars.  If you've read neither you're in for a treat.  Just read We Were Liars first.

On a purrrsonal note, the weekend was grey and rainy.  It made me realize how lucky we were to get perfect parade weather on Friday.  I mostly did internship work and blogging and tried to stay off my feet.  For awhile I'd been passing on my exercise bike.  I have some kind of soft tissue injury in my right leg.  It hurts to put weight on it.  I'm limping around like a three hundred year old vampire.  Lucky for me my friend Erin is letting me ride to school and back with her because I can't imagine walking to the bus stop and back.  (Jules)

I am glad she has a ride.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to Erin.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone