Here We Lie

Sophie McKenzie

Simon & Schuster

ISBN: 9781471133183

Description:

On holiday with family and her adoring fiancé, Jed, Emily couldn’t be happier. But overnight, the idyllic trip turns into a waking nightmare when one of the group is found dead in what appears to be a terrible accident.

The devastated party returns to London to cope with their loss while trying to resume their normal lives. But new revelations shed a shocking light on the holiday tragedy and set Emily on a perilous journey to discover the truth about what happened.

Soon a terrifying series of threats and lies bring her face to face with the dark truths at the heart of her family – and into life-threatening danger…

My View:

If you are prepared to hang you suspension of disbelief on the coat rail in the hall way then proceed and enjoy. This is a narrative chock full of drama, paranoia and surprises and a good dose of heartbreak with an underlying useful social commentary on the power of social media and its role in bullying.

Of all the characters in this book I found the voice of Dee Dee the most intriguing and deserving of empathy; a child entering the teenage years, her body and hormones at odds with one another, her naivety and her sadness, a pawn in her parents efforts to hurt each other, Dee Dee is a character to make you think. Her story told through the watching of her privately made videos recorded on her phone are revealing and heartbreaking.

Sophie McKenzie is a writer who is the master of the surprise and unexpected reveal and she uses this skill masterfully here. I bet that you will not expect the ending – it is totally surprising.