Review: Justine Larbalestier

Title: Liar Author: Justine Larbalestier Format: TC Available Formats: MM, Audio CD, Audio Download Page Count: 371 Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books Pub. Date: September 29, 2009 ISBN-13: 9781599903057 Series: Stand Alone Rating: 8 of 10

Summary:
Micah is both a compulsive and pathological liar. By which I mean: Micah can not only help lying, even when there is no reason to do so, but she also lies to manipulate. She's also the narrator of Liar, which leads to the question: what does a reader do when the narrator cannot be trusted? Micah wants to tell the story of how her boyfriend, Zach, died. It's up to the reader to discern exactly how much truth is in the story--and exactly how much involvement Micah had in his death.



TL;DR Version:
It's a brain-teasing, crazy ride through the life--and lies--of a girl. I recommend this one to all readers who appreciate a well-done ambiguous psychological thriller. The protagonist is shifty and never quite what she seems. And always remember--one doesn't need to approve of a protagonist or his/her actions to enjoy a book!

Review:
I've always been a fan of the unreliable narrator. Being forced to consider the biases of the narrator adds a new level to any story and the device has been used throughout literature. One of my favorite unreliable narrators is Coverdale from Nathaniel Hawthorne's Blithedale Romance. Coverdale doesn't tell the reader that he's lazy, a bit cowardly, and prone to choking at important times, but the reader knows regardless. That's the beauty of a well done unreliable narrator.

Justine Larbalestier's Liar takes the unreliable narrator way beyond the ordinary and pushes into the realm of something much more ambiguous. Micah, the narrator of Liar, not only omits the truth, she tells outright lies. In fact, Micah can be honestly described as both a compulsive liar (someone who lies spontaneously without realizing their own motives for lying--if they have any) and a pathological liar (someone who lies in order to manipulate those around them). Although Micah seems to be trying to tell the story of what happened as honestly as she can--at least at first--it isn't long before the reader is forced to wonder: "Is she lying to me now? What can I trust?"

Being a masochist, I liked having such a unique protagonist--even if I couldn't trust a word out of her mouth. Not every reader will be able to accept that he or she will never really know what happened in the story, because we're given only one narrator and the reader must be content with the clues given.

Personally, I have my own interpretation of what I believe to be the truth in Liar and I also have a separate opinion of what I would want to be the truth. The multiple available interpretations are what make the book so fun. Now, I can't explain my own interpretations, because it truly would ruin the many twists and turns in the book. Let me only say this: I originally wasn't going to review this book, but because of one particular element of Liar the book can be either viewed as fantasy/speculative fiction--or not--depending on how much you believe the narrator.

Overall, despite some rough edges, I really enjoyed reading Liar and recommend it to those of you who wish to give something a bit mind-boggling a try. And, of course, I'd love to hear your personal interpretations of the 'truth'!

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
The cover is one of the things that attracted my attention to Liar. As I mentioned in my Friday Finds entry, I heard the very negative drama surrounding Larbalestier's cover. Apparently, at first, the cover was of a white girl, when the protagonist clearly states she's half-African American. Apparently, the feedback was loud and angry enough to get the cover switched to the beautiful thing is now. And it really is a great, intriguing cover. I love the neon green on black and the way the girl on the cover is hiding in her collar. It's perfect for the theme and title.

Rating: 8 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]
This book is pretty solid, guys, and I recommend it without reservations. I do recognize, however, it does take a special reader to be able to stomach this sort of protagonist. Still, I challenge you to give Larbalestier's Liar a try.

This book was purchased from my university book store.