We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Cadence and her extended family go to their private island every summer. They have fun. They love. They live their lives in eternal bliss. But something happens during summer fifteen. Cadence does not remember half the summer, and no one will tell her the truth. They are all telling her half truths. Saying her memory will come back. After two years of not going to the island she is finally back. And this summer she is determined to remember what happened. And the truth will change her.
*deep breath* (no, spoilers)
Characters: The Liars
Cadence. I love her becasue she loves to read. A character after my own heart. She describes her feelings with metaphors, such great metaphors. They make you bleed with her. It allows you to understand her hurt more intensely. Cadence listens to try to understand, not just to heard. She loves with all of her being. She has a wild spirit that demands to be heard. She tries to be normal, becasue she can. Even though she knows normal means numb, and fake, and emotionless. Cadence is one of my favorite voices, as she captivate us with her life. She makes you feel deep and loud. She makes you bleed with her.
Johnny. Johnny's is Cadence younger cousin, they are three weeks apart. He is carefree and just does things to do things. He is always fun, and never tries to be too serious. He makes up pointless games, and dares to do every dangerous thing. He doesn't let the family drama control his future. He stands up for his own future. He is a character to admire, and reminds you to never take yourself too seriously. But when you do take yourself seriously, you do it when to counts so people can remember.
Gat. He was Johnny's friend. Speifically he was Johnny's mom's boyfriend's nephew. He was Indian, he was brown. He was not white like the Sinclairs. It made him an outsider in the family of china dolls. He always thought more about things, thought more about others. He read too, like Cadence. They found each other through their thoughts and understandings of difference. She understood, and she feel in love. Gat inspired the friends to think of life not only on the island but in other places. He demand them to care even when they didn't want to think about it. Gat was different than the Sinclairs, but it was a good refreshing different.
Mirren. I wasn't sure if I was going to like her. She is also Cadence's cousin. She was too much a Sinclair, I thought. Too normal. But as I read on, I enjoyed her character. She was like Johnny. Fun loving and free. She was more responsible but always was ready for an adventure. She cared deeply like Cadence. They were alike that way. She was the protector in the friendship between Cadence, Johnny and Gat. She tried to protect Cadence. In the end I grew to love her.
I grew to love them all.
Plot
The book is about 220 pages, so everything is happening so fast. The sentences are short, and pack a punch. The use of metaphors allows the reader to understand the feels of Cadence as she tries to remember all her summers on the family's private island. The plot takes you through each summer starting at summer eight. It allows you to understand the family history and what brings the family to where they are now. Cadence tries to understand why she can't remember summer fifteen, and slowly pieces together the missing pieces with her cousins and Gat. It is a story of friendship and mostly of all, family. The plot keeps you guessing, as you also try to piece together the memories. When she does remember you can't help but scream, "Oh. My.God." Everything comes into focus, all the clues are brought to light. It was artfully crafted. A story of the lies we tell, and the truths we keep.
Setting
It mostly takes place on an island off the coast of Massachusetts. It is a small private island called Beechwood. There is no cell phone service.You have to drive a boat into town. Each family has their own house that is connected by a different pathways. They spend every summer at the island. The book provides a lovely map. The island is almost like a haven, where everything is peaceful and nothing is ever bad. Expect summer fifteen. That is when everything changes.
All in All
I did a full #BookTalk on this book with characters, plot and setting. If these doesn't tell you how much I love this book, I will rave about it some more. This book is the definition of "Pain demands to be felt" (the famous TFIOS quote). It is both beautiful and painful. It is the heads and tails of life. The life we live in bliss and the life we live in fear. It is not only a book I will highly recommend, but it is one of my favorite novels. It is the perfect summer read. We Were Lairs is the novel to be reckoned with. It makes you reexamine your motives, and the reasons you love. It allows you to realize what is truly important. It allows you to be grateful. Oh so grateful for the people around you. It makes your heart bleed life.
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