Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She’s happier than she’s ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist.
Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should have been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two of the women.
Jane has tried to put the past behind her but someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won’t stop until they’ve destroyed Jane and everything she loves . . '
Immediately, the blurb on the back of the book got me hooked. I knew that The Lie was something I need to read for a couple of reasons.
Reason 1: Why has she changed her name? I mean c'mon. You're intrigued already, right?
Reason 2: All my friends are going away on girls holidays so I was thinking it would be about a mad weekender in Magaluf sort of story.. Oh how I was wrong..
This book had me gripped from start to finish. I read it in about 3 hours non-stop because I just couldn't put it down. Each chapter (or page, rather) created another question that needed answering. The Lie is a complete page-turning classic that really does fuel the urge to carry on reading.
C. L. Taylor wrote the book in two different timelines so you're constantly switching to Jane's present life and her past life. To me, I love that yet I often find some authors make the reader confused however with The Lie it was very easy to keep up with.
The plot of the book is fantastic. The ideas, the themes. I can't say I've read a book it's similar to and I like the individuality of The Lie. The downside of the plot is that it can be a bit unrealistic. Yes, I know it's a book but half of the events that happen in the book would make a woman run a mile and not carry on with the holiday... It's an entertaining plot but it's a bit far-fetched.
The main character, Jane, is a fantastic character. As soon as she introduces herself, you like her almost instantly. Her personality is great and I bet 9 times out of 10, you could relate Jane to somebody who you personally know. My favourite character has to be Al. Her 'I don't care but I do care' attitude really got me hooked. I found myself wanting to know more about Al!
In terms of characters, C. L. Taylor did get a good variety of personalities in the friendship group but sometimes I did ask myself 'Why doesn't Jane leave Daisy and Leanne?!'. Personally, if I had friends like Daisy and Leanne, I would have waved them goodbye years ago.
An entertaining ending is what you get with this book. It would be an utter let down if the ending was poor but thankfully, The Lie has a brilliant, fast paced and tense ending that really does get the adrenaline pumping around your body! Maybe it was rushed or maybe it was just me. It did seem as if the book just ended without a slow close but still, an enjoyable ending of a thriller novel.
Overall, it is an easy to read book with a lot of entertaining and tense parts in it. It really is a page turner and something you can't put down. The dark themes throughout the book really do make you think about different cults around the world for sure.
I'm giving it a 4 out of 5 simply because I felt that some events that occur in the book are a bit far-fetched and really not needed.
Let's just say I'm not going to Nepal anytime soon...
Let me know if you've read The Lie down in the comments!
Thanks,
Charlotte
Find it here at Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-lie/c-l-taylor/9780007544271
Find it here at Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-lie/c-l-taylor/9780007544271
