Family of Liars by E. Lockhart
Years ago, I read the book We Were Liars. This book is the prequel. I was worried that I didn’t remember enough of We Were Liars to enjoy this book. I do remember loving We Were Liars. I would book-talk it every chance I got. I devoured that book in one day.
This book takes place twenty-seven years before the book We Were Liars.
I remember reading the first book and thinking it just felt sad. Cadence seemed so lost. Well, she sort of was; she had no memory. In this book, Carrie is the one who seems lost. She is dealing with the loss of her little sister, who drowned last summer, and just the craziness of being a teenager. She had jaw surgery earlier in the year, and now she seems to have developed an addiction to pain pills. I don’t know if it is the pain pills or something darker, but she is visited by the ghost of her little sister. I don’t know how to explain it, but even when she is doing something that sounds enjoyable, she still sounds sort of sad.
Her cousin comes to the island (the same island from the first book, the one their family owns), bringing her boyfriend and two other boys. Carrie finds herself curious about one of the boys, Pfeff. I was annoyed with this boy from the start, but I am not a teen, so that might not be a surprise.
Carrie, her two sisters, her cousin, and the boys spend a lot of time together that summer. Some good times, some not-so-good times. I was a little shocked that they drank a lot. I was a nerdy kid who was terrified to break any rules. Anyway. Just like We Were Liars, Family of Liars has some crazy things happen. I don’t think they were quite as shocking, but I was still surprised. I know this is the worst thing for a review, but I don’t want to say much. There was a lot that happened in this book, but I feel like you need to go in a little blind to really experience it.
There is an interview with the author at the back of this book, and she discusses the first book. I didn’t remember as much as I thought I did. I remember the big crazy ending, but I don’t remember any of the little details. The author explains why she picked Carrie to tell this story. As she explained this, I realized that I didn’t remember as much from that book. I still really enjoyed this and devoured it nearly as fast as I did the first, but it didn’t have as biga shock. Maybe I will reread We Were Liars or at least skim through it.
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