I have not read Ruth Ware’s other two novels but when I went to Columbus Metropolitan Library I saw the title and I felt that I heard it or I have seen the cover somewhere so I took it and read. Honestly, I completed this book in a day just because I knew the reason and the secret I just wanted to know what else was there.
About the book:
It is a story where women walking in a beach finds a human bone. That women texts her 3 friends three words “I NEED YOU”. Then the three leave everything and come to the “Mill House”. These four friends are Isa Wilde, Kate Atagon (who texted), Fatima and Thea. These four girls were a tight nit clique in a boarding hostel called Salten House”. Kate and Thea knew each other, and Isa and Fatima were new comers and roommates. Kate’s father is their arts teacher who mysteriously disappeared and for unknown reasons they left Salten house a year or two before their year ended. These four played a game called “The Lying Game”. It had four rules they are:
- Tell a lie
- Stick to your story
- Don’t get caught
- Never lie to each other
- Know when to stop lying
The book is narrated by Isa Wild. After 15 years Isa is a mother of 6 months old baby and is living with her boyfriend. She lies to him the moment she gets the text and leaves to meet Kate. Fatima was a Muslim but never practiced the beliefs and not she is a devoted surgeon and practices her religion where she has left drinking and prays five times a day. She has two kids and as soon as she is out of surgery she leaves to meet Kate. Thea then troubled now has a gaming license and she comes to meet Kate as soon as her shift ends. Kate who is still in the same town although scorned by most villagers still lives in her old house and paints. They all meet and although love each other are not comfortable at first.
The story moves back and forth how Isa first met Fatima on the train and they became friends and then how they met Kate and Thea and how they all became friends. Then the story moves to today and how they know that the discovered body is of him. Isa had a crush on Kate’s brother Luc and how he had rejected her and how he is still in town. After attending their high school reunion, they come back and everyone leaves. But, once they leave back in few days’ time they get a blackmail photo. Isa contacts Fatima and Thea and they meet and shocked to know that all three received it and they decide to go back and confront Kate. To their dismay they go back only to realize that Kate was being blackmailed since long time ago and she has been paying the blackmailer off. They come to know someone knows the truth. In the end there is a lot of twists and turns and the book comes to an end.
My Review:
It was an okay book. I found the plot weak and to why did the book was named The Lying Game? First thing is that the four best friends lying was a game. However, the incident that happened and how they lied and have buried inside them is not a lie. They lied to people around them for fun but the incident is not something that was a result of one of their lies it was a complete different thing.
Second when Kate found the body why did she call all her three friends? She could have just let that thing remain like that.
Third, I don’t know why Thea is there in the first place. Kate and Thea knew each other and they were friends but she did not have a strong storyline. Kate is one of the central character as it is about how everything is related to her house and her. Isa is the story teller and she had Luc. Fatima can be considered important as she has a special close relation with Isa. But, Thea stands out. She just had close relationship with the other three but except that losing a job and being like how she was it makes no difference. If you remove that character and just consider Isa and Fatima meeting Kate on the train the story still works.
Fourth, while reading few chapters you come to know about what the secret is and there is honestly only one twist and I just read the book to get it over with. While reading the book “The Passenger” I came to know the significance of the title but the title for this book makes no sense.
The End.
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