One of the bonuses of volunteering for a book charity is that you often get to borrow books that are donated before they go out (obviously so that you can then recommend them to those who want recommendations!) and this was one of those that I hadn’t heard about before.

Seven Lies introduces us to best friends Jane and Marnie. Friends since childhood nothing can come between them, not even marriage. However Jane never liked Marnie’s husband, and maybe if she hadn’t lied then Marnie’s husband might not be dead.

Seven Lies was a real surprise to me, and it’s no exaggeration to say it’s probably one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. It was a really compelling read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story itself was well written and felt quite unique to me. It was told completely from Jane’s point of view as she talks to an invisible audience, which gives a real sense of voyeurism to the tale.

Jane clearly has a lot going on, her mother has dementia, her sister has anorexia, she lost her husband. From the outside it’s obvious this will have taken a huge toll and you can almost feel her spiralling as things go from bad to worse. Yet equally lots of her actions are inexcusable and she’s a chilling villain that borders on the unhinged.

I really enjoyed the mix of the characters, the friendship between Marnie and Jane was equal parts overbearing and supportive. Each relying on the other a little too much. The friendship tips quickly into obsessive with everyone else very much playing peripheral roles in the lives of the two women, at least in Jane’s eyes.

I liked how things felt really subtle, the dementia, the anorexia, the grief, everything was really understated and not pushed in your face. The lies are the same, some of them are so small that they are almost inconsequential, yet without them the outcome may have been different. This book felt as though someone was telling you a story and that you were getting an insight into the workings of the narrators inner mind. 

The ending was also pretty perfect, leaving those doubts as to what happens next. I really loved this book and thought it was an amazing debut (back in 2020) that I can’t believe passed me by until now. I will definitely be recommending this next time I’m out with Bookcase For All.