“Family of Liars” by E. Lockhart

“Family of Liars” is the well buried and “cruel” secret of an old money family. Another long night, drown in blood, bonfires and grief. Another Sinclair generation, but the same old liars. Reading “Family of Liars” was like having ice and fire running through my veins at the same time.

I’ll never forget this feeling… but I don’t think I want to either.

Title: “Family of Liars”

Author: E. Lockhart

Genre: YA, Thriller

Page count: 320

Age Rating: +14

“Family of Liars” is the very anticipated prequel of “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart. The story was created as an embedded narrative. While the plot begins in the present, shortly after the end of “We Were Liars”, with Johnny’s desire to be told more about the Sinclairs and the roots of their hereditary way of being, the story he is told is narrated in his mother’s early teenage years. So calling this novel a “prequel”, I think, is questionable. I took notice and enjoyed the writing complex techniques the author used. They made me believe that I reached far deeper the core of this story.

The action, during the whole reading, is a single story, narrated from Carrie’s point of view. The beginning and the end are symmetrical, both highlighting the possibility that she won’t be able to tell the truth completely.

Trigger warnings

1. Murder
2. (almost) rape
3. Pills addiction
4. Underage drinking
5. Death

Grieve is for nothing

The Sinclair girls were cold, and yet enchanting. Each generation was taught not to show emotions, weaknesses or intentions in plain sight. They were enigmatic, locked boxes of shadows and lies. Rosemary’s death passed almost unnoticed, as it seemed. I tried to go through the events and feel everything the characters once felt. I eventually took notice of a frightening, and yet calming fog of numbness present on their island, in their family. Their gestures and replies seemed programmed, having to be “a credit to the family”.

“𝐀𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐝𝐨. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐋𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.”

“Family of Liars”, E. Lockhart

This book was an invigorating mixture of ice and fire. While the girls’ personalities intrigued me so beautifully, the circumstances and turn of events froze me in my seat. So self-controlled, precious and compelling. The Sinclair girls were taken out of a dream, but the island hid numerous shadows. They were the greatest nightmare of the night. There’s not only one thing I took in consideration, but their whole characters as they came. Their characters were a whole, each tiny piece completing perfectly the others.

Nothing less than perfect

Everything about the social norms the Sinclair family encouraged was toxic. No matter her pain or will, Carrie had to suffer physically to be accepted as truly one of them. It was selfish and egocentric if you asked me. There couldn’t have been any excuses, at all, to justify the “pushes” done over her. As a matter of fact, during all that time, Carrie just wanted to be seen, as the real person she was, and feel emotionally validated.

I actually loved seeing Carrie’s transformation linked to her intrusive thoughts and self reflections. She highlighted a very thoughtful key aspect about life in general: everybody thought about her outside, but who cared about her inside? I loved it!!! Through this, E. Lockhart became even more special in my eyes.

Carrie’s later addiction was treated, as all the numerous “ugly” aspects of the Sinclairs, with thin irony and dark humor. In this way, I believe even the worst and most painful details seemed more… digestible. My latest observation is that nothing which took place at the Sinclairs would’ve been “usual” or “decent” by nature, but always intriguing.

“𝐀𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐈 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲. 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫. 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡.”

“Family of Liars”, E. Lockhart

Liars

“We Were Liars” has been my favorite book for so many years now. It was a dream come true reading for the first time a new part of the Sinclair family’s story. Every vivid reader experienced, relating to at least one book, the desire to read a particular book for the first time again, to experience blindly all that torment of feelings and tension. I think there’s nothing I love more than seeing on people’s faces the moment when they realize the book they are reading… is going to become a special personal memory.

“Family of Liars” was a sweet reminder of what I felt, in my early beginning as a book blogger, reading “We Were Liars”, the book that modelled my vision upon world and feelings. Some books simply never leave your heart, being stubborn to stick to it.

I found the same essence, dark humor, free spirit in “Family of Liars” as I did in its sequel. I was more than delighted with how this book turned to be. An unbelievable pleasant surprise. Generational lies, each born to bury the lies of the family deeper in the unseen. In the black ocean that hid them so well each summer, the one through which so many souls left the island.

I was actually too stunned to speak. Like this book would’ve needed any more spark, the author made a choice for the narration, which simply got to my heart. Carrie, our narrator, started her story affirming that she might not be able to tell the truth completely, because they are all liars in the end. That simply got my blood pumping faster and the adrenaline to increase unbelievably high. I would return and read these books again any day! And trust me, no other book got that close to me.

“𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥. 𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲.”

“Family of Liars”, E. Lockhart

Above blood

I liked so much the mysterious air of the end. The Sinclairs lied, pretended and moved on together, as they had always done. The intrigue is symmetrical to the one of “We Were Liars”, both built up through a traumatic shared event. I see the Sinclair family more defined, now that I read the prequel as well. A new side of the same story, but through a different generation. Lies are the Sinclairs’ main legacy and also of the island. I strongly believe that “We Were Liars” and “Family of Liars” are part of the books that remain unforgotten. I know for sure I won’t be able to ever forget them!

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Read next the review of “King of Wrath” by Ana Huang (coming soon…)

Q&A

The order of the duology

I advise you on reading “We Were Liars” firstly. Technically, the beginning of “Family of Liars” takes place shortly after the end of “We Were Liars”. If you don’t read them in order, you risk getting the end of “We Were Liars” spoiled from the very beginning.

An appropriate book

I consider that “Family of Liars” is an appropriate book for the +14 years old readers. There is no explicit sexual interaction. You can check the trigger warning of “Family of Liars” right at the beginning of my review.

The characters of “Family of Liars”

• Tipper (the girls’ mother)
• Harris (the girls’ father)
• Carrie (the narrator, the eldest Sinclair daughter)
• Penny (the middle Sinclair daughter)
• Bess (the youngest Sinclair daughter)
• Erin (Penny’s best friend)
• Dean (Harris Sinclair’s brother, the girls’ uncle)
• Thomas (the Sinclair cousin)
• Yardley (the Sinclair cousin, Carrie’s best friend)
• George (Yardley’s boyfriend)
• Major (George’s friend)
• Pfeff (George’s friend)

The role of the previously mentioned characters are named as they initially appear in the story. The characters’ relations suffer great developments and their status might change eventually. For a greater perspective of the overview, you can check the characters’ role in Carrie’s life here, where you can find additional information related to her character.

The end explained

Attention, SPOILER!

After murdering Pfeff and covering their tracks, the girls and their family try to move on. Carrie is the one who learned so much about her family later on. Family, she would find out soon, is above blood. Even though she disagrees with most of the Sinclairs’ ideology, she started believing in it and seeing it in her as well. Carrie was not Harris’s biological daughter, but she was still part of his family, her daughter no matter their uncommon blood. Carrie started seeing her importance between the Sinclairs.

Is it LGBTQ+?

Even though the book presented, at some point, Penny’s bisexual preferences and confusion relating to her sexuality, I don’t really consider “Family of Liars” an LGBTQ+ book. The previously mentioned part is very shortly present in the book.

A memorable quote

During my whole review, I mentioned three quotes which, I thought, were the most meaningful for the approached subject from that paragraph. For more memorable quotes, you can click here and go on Goodreads.

How thick “Family of Liars” is

“Family of Liars” is about 320 pages. Personally, I succeeded finishing it in maximum 2 days. It is pretty short regarding its length and I think the story is eventful enough for the book to be impossible to let go of:) So you would most probably finish it in a couple of days.

Does “Family of Liars” have a plot twist?

Yes, “Family of Liars” has plenty of plot twists, each more and more intriguing and breathtaking. This book and its plot twists were a combination of ice and fire. Absolutely incredible!

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