Liar

Allen & Unwin (2009)
ISBN: 9781741758726
$22.99
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Reviewed by Lorraine Cormack, Oct 2009


I'd heard a good deal about Liar before I ever saw it, as a result of the controversy over the cover it was given in some regions. In short, the protaganist describes herself as black, with short, dark hair; the cover picture depicted a white, long-haired blonde. A furore erupted over the perceived racism. Personally, I wouldn't completely discount the possibility of stupidity - a cover designed and chosen by people who hadn't read the book - because I've seen plenty of covers that fell into that category. But it matters; not only because of the possible racism, but also because it has the potential to undermine the text of the novel, given that the protaganist is a self-declared liar. And if the cover image doesn't match her description of herself, it casts doubt on things Larbalestiermay not have intended to be in doubt.

Liar is narrated by Micah, the liar of the title. Micah declares herself a liar almost at once, but also assures us that she has resolved to tell us the truth about the events surrounding her boyfriend's violent death. But Micah can't help herself; before long she's acknowledging that she's omitted to mention one or two things. Is that really lying? And then she admits a few actual lies. Then she claims more statements as lies, only to later recant and say she was lying about lying. Are the family secrets real, or a product of Micah's imagination? Did she see Zach on the night of his death, or not? Given her reflexive lying, can we believe anything she says about anything?

The novel is much easier to follow than that might make it sound. Micah tells us her story, and gradually reveals her lies, omissions, the truth, and, well… perhaps more lies. The gradual unpeeling and regular reversals mean that while the reader is left in constant doubt about the reliability of what they're reading, it is easy to follow the narrative. There are a lot of questions about what's going on and what's real, but not in a confusing way. And yes, depending on how much you choose to believe of what Micah says, there are elements here that make the novel speculative fiction. These elements are well worked-out and credible, whether you think Micah is telling the truth or lying. I initially bought into them completely, and it was only when I reminded myself how unreliable Micah was that I hesitated to believe them. The novel certainly inclines more to speculative fiction than to the conventions of the crime genre; but the overarching points about the nature of reality and perception cross genre boundaries as they're much more about Micah's narrative than anything that happens.

Liar has a direct writing style that works well with Micah's narrative voice. Micah feels very real, although I hesitate to call the characterisation convincing, given the doubt Larbalestier deliberately casts on almost everything. It's easy to be absorbed in Micah's voice and her claims, though, and you want to believe some of the more positive things about her that come through. And younger readers in particular will find the high school scenes resonate - the cliques, the desperate desire to fit in, and the sometimes surprising realisation that Micah has more in common with the cool students than she thought. The novel has a relatively narrow focus, because it's all Micah's thoughts - she doesn't care what's happening in the world, so we hear nothing about what's going on beyond her immediate concerns. This is realistic, and it adds two things to the novel - first, a certain timelessness; although it's a modern novel and there are references to things such as the internet, there is a sense that this could have happened in any number of times or places. That will increase the tendency of many readers to identify with Micah. And secondly, wrapped as we are in Micah's thoughts and perceptions, it's all the easier to believe her - until she says she was lying again. This sense of having been caught off-guard again adds a lot to the ultimate sense of uncertainty.

This is a very well-written novel, and it's thought-provoking. It will probably be largely categorised as young adult given Micah's age and the environment (high school) she's dealing with; it's readable for a wide audience, however. It may not suit a young and reluctant reader, as it requires a lot of thought to really do justice to the layers Larbalestier has built throughout the novel. However, curious younger readers and many older readers will find a lot to value here, and a lot to talk about.

By the way, the review copy I read had a cover image consisting simply of the word Liar - Micah wasn't depicted in any way.