Why Men Lie

Apr 29, 2012 Cheryl rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: canadian, e-book, fiction, literary, literature

Just a 2. It was a slog. The characters weren't particularly likeable. They were superficial egocentric sketches, aimlessly richocheting off of each other's lives. Confusing, muddy, angst-ridden. Buried secrets, lies and perceived lies, all over-magnified into dramatic substrate.

Found these two books nestled against each other on my ereader:

Why Nations Fail The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

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Jun 26, 2012 Steven Langdon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: super

Linden MacIntyre's previous novel, "The Bishop's Man," won Canada's Giller Prize for the best novel of the year, so this book, which overlaps to some degree (its protagonist is the sister of the priest who is the Bishop's man,) comes with high expectations. And for the most part, "Why Men Lie" manages to meet those considerable standards. The central characters are vivid and interesting, the plot is sharp-edged and keeps you engaged, and the writing is excellent.

"The Bishop's Man" began in Cape...more Linden MacIntyre's previous novel, "The Bishop's Man," won Canada's Giller Prize for the best novel of the year, so this book, which overlaps to some degree (its protagonist is the sister of the priest who is the Bishop's man,) comes with high expectations. And for the most part, "Why Men Lie" manages to meet those considerable standards. The central characters are vivid and interesting, the plot is sharp-edged and keeps you engaged, and the writing is excellent.

"The Bishop's Man" began in Cape Breton, and shifted later to the Toronto where so many Atlantic Canadians migrate. This novel begins in Toronto (and captures well the texture of the downtown city streets,) then shifts back to Cape Breton -- and the same interwoven, incestuous network of relatives and neighbours that came together in the previous book. Effie, a professor of Celtic languages, is building a new relationship with an old friend, JC Campbell -- while also continuing to come to terms with three previous sexual relationships that have shaped her life (with her first husband John, her second husband Sextus, and her longtime partner Conor.) Effie is also navigating her changing ties with her daughter, and sorting through her remembered tensions with her deceased father (and his wartime friends.)

But this is not just a novel about passions, present and past. It is a deep and probing rumination on violence and betrayal, and the failures of men (and women) to be honest with each other. I found that MacIntyre worked through these themes well, with a caring sympathy yet a tough sharpness. His characters are layered, capable of tenderness, yet also marked by harsh anger and hurtful deviousness in their unfolding lives -- there are no angels, yet there is no unremitting evil either. Men and women grope through mistakes and memories to form enduring connections, but only sometimes succeed.

There are questions I have about this book. Does the author succeed in writing from a woman's point-of-view? I'm not sure. Effie's ties to her daughter seem to me less fierce than they should be to be convincing -- and I think a woman like Effie would have far too strong an arsenal of street smarts to fall into the trap with Paul that afflicts her.

Also, is there a bit too much insider commentary on Cape Breton and its mythology? Perhaps. There is a veiled reference, for instance, to Alistair Macleod's famous writing on Cape Breton that adds nothing to the story, and can only be seen as a tribute to another author from the Island. Cape Breton has been a dramatic source of inspiration to literature, music and poetry in Canada -- but we don't need to have that taught to us in technicolour yet again.

Nevertheless, this is a strong novel, a well-written follow-up to "The Bishop's Man," and a book that will stay with me. Effie with her Gaelic will stand out as a remarkable central character -- and JC will endure as a tormented tragic figure, trying to come to terms with the execution of a US prisoner. As for Duncan, the Bishop's man, this book also carries his story forward, and perhaps previews a sequel to come.(less)

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Jun 12, 2012 Lauracwarner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Why do we lie? Is it to make ourselves look better? To reinstate emotional boundaries? To hide secrets? To protect ourselves? To protect others? More importantly why do we tend to tell the greatest lies to those closest to us? And, given that this is true, do we ever really know someone? The theme of deception, among other affairs that tend to complicate personal relationships, is deftly explored through Linden MacIntyre’s latest novel Why Men Lie (Random House Canada, 2012). Why Men Lie is the...more Why do we lie? Is it to make ourselves look better? To reinstate emotional boundaries? To hide secrets? To protect ourselves? To protect others? More importantly why do we tend to tell the greatest lies to those closest to us? And, given that this is true, do we ever really know someone? The theme of deception, among other affairs that tend to complicate personal relationships, is deftly explored through Linden MacIntyre’s latest novel Why Men Lie (Random House Canada, 2012). Why Men Lie is the the third installment in a trilogy beginning with his 2006 piece The Long Stretch. (His last book, The Bishop’s Man, won the Scotiabank Giller Prize. MacIntyre is also the co-host of the CBC’s flagship news documentary program the fifth estate.)

Why Men Lie examines the life of Fay (Effie) MacAskill Gillis, originally from Cape Breaton Island, now longtime Toronto resident, professor of Gaelic Studies, and department head at a major university. She is the ex-wife of John Gillis, protagonist from The Long Stretch, and sister to Duncan MacAskill, the priest from The Bishop’s Man. (Both characters appear in the third installment.) As an independent, confident, and successful middle aged woman, Effie is well aware of disappointments that accompany romantic relationships. She is also attuned to the innate ability of men to lie. When Effie is introduced she is writing off her second (and most philandering) husband Alexander Sextus Gillis after she hears of his latest illicit liaison. This fallout is diverted by a chance encounter with a handsome, seemingly well-adjusted, old acquaintance JC Campbell. JC and Effie begin, what seems like, a healthy, mutually respectful relationship. The novel becomes an open examination of her three past relationships and a dissection of her most recent romance with this gentleman from her past.

Throughout the novel, Effie also grapples with the issues of secrecy, infidelity and solitude. Comfortable in her hermetic state, but aware of the unbearable lightness caused by isolation, Effie tries to determine which she possesses. At one instance she concludes that the difference between “isolation and solitude is autonomy.” But she comes to see that when we allow ourselves to become emotionally vulnerable, while engaging in a relationship with another, we always give up some of that autonomy. MacIntyre draws us into becoming fully immersed observers watching Effie slowly give up some of her self-governance. As time passes, JC also reveals secrets, insecurities, and troubles. Some of those issues are revealed when JC, a journalist, covers the story of a Canadian man, Sam, on death row in Texas for a murder. His devotion to the case becomes his personal obsession. After an altercation on New Years Eve leaves her partner hospitalized, Effie begins to suspect that JC is satisfying his carnal impulses outside the relationship. While her presumption turns out to be false, the issue remains: she knows very little about JC. Why Men Lie is a fascinating examination of the contrasting opinions on the truth.

Author Linden MacIntyre
The book is also lined with introspective musings from Effie combined with flashbacks from the past. She reveals fragments of her childhood under the guardianship of a war-damaged father while reminiscing about her own lies told to her first husband John, the one she left for his cousin Sextus. Instant karma followed this break up when Sextus soon began compulsive affairs that were accompanied with further deceit. To escape Sextus’ affairs, Effie moved on with a man named Conor, whom she lives with until his untimely death. Conor claims to never lie, but instead believes in the necessity of “benevolent deception.” Throughout the novel, lies get analyzed, justified, and condemned. “It’s only what we know that matters,” is a mantra that continually reappears in the guise of that age-old 'what we don’t know won’t hurt us' philosophy. MacIntyre raises the question as to whether or not lies are used for protection. When examining the ones told by Sextus, it is obvious that they are part of his veiling of insecurities, or vain attempts to remedy those insecurities. The morality of lying is also examined by Effie’s brother Duncan as he exclaims that “morality resides in motivation. A well-motivated lie, by that standard, can be okay, maybe even good.”

The grey area between deception and secrets is also examined. Throughout the book, JC may not explicitly lie to Effie, at least not in the same way Sextus has, but he does not reveal his full self. Is this a lie? “Secrets are funny,” Duncan reveals to Effie. “They demand fidelity regardless of their worth. Even an unworthy secret is a test of character. That’s why I never messed with your secrets.” It can be debated whether secrets are but untold lies. Would this mean that all of us with secrets are subsequently liars? “We rarely see another human in his moral nakedness,” Effie concludes one morning while wondering about the actions of her counterpart.

Why Men Lie provides a potent emotional landscape that is a worthy addition to Canadian Literature. The novel offers not only a story, but a lesson in how we come to represent ourselves. Since geography always plays such a leading role in the genre, the shift in settings between Toronto and Nova Scotia resonates memorably. The characters, although troubled, struggle to be strong, respectable, and true-to-life. They face moral dilemmas, similar to those we all face, and each deal with them within their own capacities. Why Men Lie asks many questions. While it may not have answers to all the troubling questions about men, women, relationships, and lying, it has a way of keeping those questions burning in us as well.
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May 02, 2012 Ruth Seeley rated it 3 of 5 stars

The third novel in the loosely linked trilogy that includes The Long Stretch and The Bishop's Man, this novel focuses on Duncan's sister Effie (Duncan is of course The Bishop's Man). I think it fails as both a character study of Effie (in many ways the glue that holds together her generation's male triumvirate of Sextus, John Gillis and Duncan, which parallels the trio of males who are the focus of The Long Stretch - Sextus, John and Duncan & Effie's fathers) and as a novel. Effie remains a...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first thing I have to say is that he is a beautiful writer. There were many times throughout this book that I had to stop and reread a particular line or paragraph. It wasn’t just the physical descriptions that gave me pause for thought. It was also the insights and revelations the characters made. The impact of those words was visceral at times. I was especially impressed by MacIntyre’s writing from the point of view of a woman. It was seamless.

I read The Bishop’s Man and loved it. When I s...more

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May 18, 2012 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Why Men Lie is the third in a loosely connected trilogy of novels, after The Long Stretch and The Bishop's Man. The novels share a cast of characters but are narrated from different perspectives and cover different time periods. The focus of this novel is Effie MacAskill Gillis, who, in her mid-fifties and in the midst of a successful academic career at the University of Toronto, seems content to be living on her own after a traumatic childhood and two failed marriages. Without exception the men...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Pamela Detlor rated it 4 of 5 stars

Best selling author and Giller Prize winner, for The Bishop’s Man, Linden MacIntyre delivers a thought provoking new work.

I wasn’t sure what the point was when I started reading Why Men Lie . The first 16 pages covered bits and pieces of a year, without a sense of where things were going. Though I wasn’t sure if I liked the protagonist, Effie MacAskill Gillis (Sister to Duncan, from Bishop’s Man), I did find the dialogue well written, and a steady flow to the writing. My issue with Effie: she...more Best selling author and Giller Prize winner, for The Bishop’s Man, Linden MacIntyre delivers a thought provoking new work.

I wasn’t sure what the point was when I started reading Why Men Lie . The first 16 pages covered bits and pieces of a year, without a sense of where things were going. Though I wasn’t sure if I liked the protagonist, Effie MacAskill Gillis (Sister to Duncan, from Bishop’s Man), I did find the dialogue well written, and a steady flow to the writing. My issue with Effie: she seemed somewhat jaded in her opinion of men. This based on a lifetime of failed experiences with men, including her father. I thought, “If this is a story about a jaded, middle-aged, man hating woman, written from a man’s point of view, I’m not interested."

MacIntyre was brave to take on the “voice” of his female characters. It isn’t often that a man can write, believably, as a woman. Larry McMurtry did it brilliantly in, “Terms of Endearment (1976).” Lawrence Hill was also a master in, “The Book of Negroes (2007).” I’ve read other books that came across more like “Penthouse Letters,” of what men’s fantasies of women are as opposed to how we actually think. Both Effie and Stella are well portrayed. With their initial introductions, I wasn’t sure I liked either woman, by the end of the story I realized they were both strong women who were to be admired for being true to themselves.

Toronto and Cape Breton are featured beautifully in the story. Because I grew up in the Maritimes and spent 17 years in Toronto, I was first drawn in by the landscape of the character’s lives. I enjoyed the visual pictures MacIntyre painted of so many places I knew from personal experience.

There are many types of lies. Some lies self-serving and deceitful. There are lies of omission and half-truths. There are little white lies and lies told to protect another person. There are pointless lies. All of these are featured in this story. The Golden Rule: Never Tell A Lie: looses some steam when we realize that every person on earth has told a lie, of some sort, in his or her lifetime. Perhaps you’re thinking, “I don’t lie!” How many times have you run into someone who said, “Hello, How are you?” And you replied, “fine.” But you weren’t. Maybe you felt awful, or your life was falling apart. Yet, you chose to lie. Perhaps you didn’t want to get into your business. Still… “Fine” is a lie when we’re not “fine.” It’s not the same and a malicious lie. Is that what you’re thinking?

“Why Men Lie,” provokes thought about differing sides of an argument. It looks at life from the perceived “middle” of our allotted time on earth, making us consider what we want out of life and relationships. Honesty is the best policy; yet, this story shines a light on the fact that not all lies are created equally.
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Jul 16, 2012 John C. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Why Men Lie is the 3rd Novel in Linden’s Cape Breton trilogy however it completely stands alone with no prerequisite to have read the other two.
Although a grabbing and provocative title, the novel is certainly not a documentary or an explanation thereof either. It is however a well written story following the life of one Effie MacAskill. She is a Torontonian and a Cape Breton native who is middle-aged and quite content within her rather quiet and solitary lifestyle. All that changes when she ha...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Chantale rated it 4 of 5 stars

Effie is a woman who doesn't want to depend on or trust men any longer after being married twice. She is a strong woman who knows what she wants, until she meets JC, she tries not to get too attached to him at first. This is a book about relationships between men and women and their children, but it also has a mystery. Who is JC, what is he hiding, is he lying? The ending will shock you because nothing in the dust jacket suggests such a gripping plot 3/4 of the way into the book - a page turner...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Kyle rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was fantastic! I hope to see it shortlisted for the Giller Prize this year. The third installment of the author's Cape Breton Trilogy, this novel stands apart from its two predecessors. Whereas "The Long Stretch" and "The Bishop's Man" were about the secrets, facades, and bonds between men, "Why Men Lie" looks at how those secrets, facades, and bonds appear to women. The main character in this novel is Effie, the brother of Duncan (the Bishop's Man), and ex-wife to John Gillis and Sext...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Matt Rohweder rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the third book in MacIntyre's trilogy about a family from Nova Scotia, and it certainly lived up to it's predecessor The Bishop's Man. I was enthralled from page one as these characters slowly move through two years learning what it means to remember past pain and familial horrors as well as how to really love one another.

I loved The Bishop's Man and easily include it in my top 10 books, so I had really high expectations for this book. I am so glad it lived up to them.

I feel as through...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Alyssa rated it 2 of 5 stars

What's interesting about this book? Its exploration of how memory and recollection (actual or embellished) shape us, our presents and our futures. Its intimate portrayal of small-town life and sometimes uncomfortably close-knit relationships. Its ability to weave truth with fiction and right with wrong so that it's hard to see them clearly and independently.

What's NOT interesting? The title...as it turns out, the reason men lie is exactly what you would have imagined: because it serves their nee...more

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May 17, 2013 Toni Osborne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Book 3, in the Cape Breton Trilogy

“Why Men Lie”, the last volume in the trilogy is actually an extension to “The Bishop’s Man” (book 2) where Priest Duncan MacAskill , known as the “fixer” was the center figure. This latest features Effie MacAskill- Gillis, Duncan’s sister, as the main player and is set mostly in Toronto and in Cape Breton during the late 1990’s. The story follows further the community and the family saga we have come to know in the previous installments. The central theme in “W...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Anna-marie Mackenzie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked "The Long Stretch" and "The Bishop's Man", the two books connected to "Why Men Lie", and I was impressed by Linden Macintyre's interview on "George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight", so I've been looking forward to reading this novel for a while. The themes were well-developed: memory, power, autonomy, ageing. One weakness of the novel, though, is character development. The readers are not always privy to the motives of some of the important characters. This, though, may have been intentional,...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars

A mesmerizing read although a little confusing at first. All of Effie's exes and her brother keep popping up and it is hard to keep them straight until half-way through.Her brother is the Bishop's man from the previous book which I think I liked a little better...5 stars. I do love MacIntyre's writng and I marked a lot of passages to come back to. He seems able to keep the reader very interested even when nothing much is happening. The characters draw the reader in as you get to know them better...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Zara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, own, review-list

Why Men Lie by Linden MacIntyre is a parallel sequel to MacIntyre’s Giller Prize winning novel, The Bishop’s Man, which won its acclaim in 2009. This story, though, is told through the perspective and voice of Effie (Faye) MacAskill Gillis, sister to Duncan, the protagonist in The Bishop’s Man.

It’s a complicated tale, a microcosmic view into the life and thought-process of Effie Gillis after three broken relationships and a conscious effort at building a tolerance to independence and the changes...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Louise Gleeson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am always drawn to books by Canadian authors and thoroughly enjoy immersing myself in a familiar landscape. This book is set in both Toronto and on the East Coast. It is a beautifully told story, which is accessible to all readers. MacIntyre's ability to write from a female perspective was astounding. I was continuously surprised by the voice of Effie and developed a great fondness for her character. And even though we are meant to dislike her former husband for his indiscretions, MacIntyre ca...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Young rated it 4 of 5 stars

I debated giving this 5 stars because I couldn't put it down. I love the way that MacIntyre builds his characters and the locations. I've only been to Cape Breton once but he made me feel as if I'd lived there all my life. Plus it was nice to read about specific locations in Toronto. My only negative - the reason it didn't get 5 stars - was that I occasionally had trouble recognizing that the characters had moved from present to past and vice versa. Those transitions were a bit too seemless for...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Dot rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dot-s-booklist-2012

As with the other novels by this author, the story is about a group of Nova Scotia families. While the other books I have read have been primarily set in Nova Scotia, this one takes place mostly in Toronto and the main character is Effie McAskill Gillis who has played a relatively minor roles in the other novels. I had a bit of trouble getting into this book but I found it picked up its pace in the second half so that I did feel it was a good read. I have read that this is the first time that th...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Nancy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: didn-t-like, canadian-authors

This book wasn't what I expected it would be so I was disappointed from start to end.I thought it would be more research based and provide more insight - but the research claim is from the personal experience of the author growing up among strong women and therefore claiming that he could write a women's character. Didn't work for me at all.

I didn't like all the drinking in this story either - the easy and quick reliance on a drink, or many drinks, to ease pain and clear or erase thinking. Too m...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Mike Smith rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

My reading of this somewhat complex novel, which was loaned to me by a friend, was interrupted by several other books from the library that I had to finish and return, so I kind of lost the plot during the interruption. This is a sequel to MacIntyre's very good "The Bishop's Man", which I have since learned is in fact the second book in a trilogy. The first book is "The Long Stretch", which I haven't read. I recall thinking in The Bishop's Man that there were things the characters knew about tha...more My reading of this somewhat complex novel, which was loaned to me by a friend, was interrupted by several other books from the library that I had to finish and return, so I kind of lost the plot during the interruption. This is a sequel to MacIntyre's very good "The Bishop's Man", which I have since learned is in fact the second book in a trilogy. The first book is "The Long Stretch", which I haven't read. I recall thinking in The Bishop's Man that there were things the characters knew about that the reader didn't. It now appears that those things, mainly having to do with the current characters' fathers, may have been described in The Long Stretch.

So, much like The Bishop's Man, Why Men Lie refers rather obliquely to events in the childhoods of the main characters, Effie MacAskill Gillis (the sole viewpoint character), her brother (and narrator of The Bishop's Man) Duncan MacAskill, and JC Campbell. These events continue to shape and affect how Effie deals with a string of failed relationships until she re-encounters JC one day and thinks he may be a man she can finally trust. It turns out JC has secrets of his own.

Like The Bishop's Man, the story moves back and forth in time as Effie remembers events that have some bearing on her current situation, or events that are at least evoked in memory by current events. These shifts come without warning or overt signalling by MacIntyre, so they're sometimes confusing, but not as bad as in The Bishop's Man. Much is implied by these reminiscences, but enough is left unsaid that I was often unsure what the author wanted me to conclude.

The writing is good and the characters are well-drawn and believable. But they are partly opaque. We don't understand them as well as they understand themselves and so their motives and behaviour seem a bit mysterious or even confusing to us. The themes here are more commonplace than the priestly child abuse that was a focus of The Bishop's Man, so in some ways the book is less exotic and engaging.

Overall, the tone is a bit depressing and melancholic. Very few characters are truly happy. I would recommend that you not read the last couple of chapters right before going to bed. But it's still a good contemporary Canadian novel that feels totally real, if a bit confusing.(less)

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Jul 29, 2012 Brian added it

Irrespective of what is, in my opinion, good or bad about it, Why Men Lie? is thought provoking.

McIntyre, in all three of his books about (mainly) three families from Cape Breton’s Long Stretch area, presents his story like the reader is overhearing a conversation in a pub. The narrative is life-like. Like real conversations, they are obscured by innuendo, by omission, deception, interruption and non-verbal communication, all of which make the narrative challenging. The big revelations are to so...more

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May 07, 2012 Raimo Wirkkala rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is an act of courage when a male author attempts to create a credible female character and it is downright dangerous when that author dares to write from the female perspective. Excellent writers (think John Updike) can turn into hacks as they project their own sweaty fantasies onto the female characters they conjure up. With the character of Effie, MacIntyre walks this dangerous landscape and emerges to some glory. This novel is a follow-up to his previous novel, "The Bishop's Man", but it s...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Jeanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: canadian

Effie McAskill Gillis is a university professor who has had her share of troubled or complicated relationships with men over the course of her life, including an abusive father damaged by the war, her brother Duncan, a priest working with the homeless, and several marriages to weak/needy men. She lives in a lovely home in Toronto and owns a house on Cape Breton where she grew up, and where she now spends her summers. She is relatively content with her life. Then she runs into an old friend from...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Doreen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: personal-library

Effie MacAskill Gillis has been married twice and in a long-term relationship once; all of these were filled with lies and deception. Tired of “coping with the turmoil men cause” (11), she decides that “she didn’t really mind the now inevitable solitude. She’d learned to think of it as independence” (10). Nonetheless, she begins another relationship – this time with JC Campbell, who, like her, is a Cape Bretoner displaced in Toronto. Things begin well. Effie is initially impressed with JC’s appa...more Effie MacAskill Gillis has been married twice and in a long-term relationship once; all of these were filled with lies and deception. Tired of “coping with the turmoil men cause” (11), she decides that “she didn’t really mind the now inevitable solitude. She’d learned to think of it as independence” (10). Nonetheless, she begins another relationship – this time with JC Campbell, who, like her, is a Cape Bretoner displaced in Toronto. Things begin well. Effie is initially impressed with JC’s apparent openness, his lack of “reluctance to disclose” (22), but gradually he starts to withdraw. He doesn’t call and gives vague answers to questions, and Effie soon realizes that he is not just keeping secrets but lying. The book details the evolution of their relationship.

Effie also examines her previous relationships with men and it soon becomes clear that often the damage done was caused by men’s unwillingness to give voice to their insecurities and to discuss troubling events, even those long past. Truths are untold and untruths are told. An acquaintance describes to Effie the problem with relationships: “’You learn too much about each other, and at the same time, not enough. You each construct a practical persona and that’s what you exchange. Superficialities. For the most part, you leave out the emotional stuff that might have turned the buzz into something more . . . melodic’” (216). Because so much is left unsaid, people enter “the realm of speculation, and speculation is the mother of exaggeration and untruth and suffering” (236). Effie asks, “How well do I know anybody (271)? In the end she concludes, “Familiarity is not the same as knowledge. But sometimes it’s the best we can hope for. We can only love or hate what the other seems to be” (280 – 281).

Effie finds that men are particularly guilty of deceptions, but she herself is not guiltless. She too keeps secrets and tells lies: “I lied, she thought. . . And she almost laughed aloud at the irony. She went to see her brother seeking insight about lies, then lied about the reason for her visit. . . . Everybody lies” (119). One of the men in Effie’s life argued for the necessity for some lies, “benevolent deceptions, he would call them” (119), but there is little doubt that one of the major themes of the novel is the destructive power of deception and silence.

In the end the reader is left with an incomplete understanding of Effie. For example, we know that her father terrorized her as a child, but the exact nature of her trauma is unknown. Even her physical appearance is unclear. For instance, she looks in the mirror and sees an “older woman, well turned out but plain” (43), but later admits that one of the reasons she got a promotion five years earlier is that she was “an attractive redhead who could have stepped straight out of a Georgian lithograph” (57). Of course, our inability to fully know her is appropriate considering Effie’s question, “How well does anyone know me” (271)?

This novel is the third of MacIntyre’s Cape Breton trilogy. It can certainly be understood without a reading of "The Long Stretch" or "The Bishop’s Man", but one will have a deeper appreciation if the other two are read first, especially "The Long Stretch" which describes Effie’s relationships with her two ex-husbands. Unfortunately, I think this book is the weakest of the three.
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Apr 28, 2012 Christa (More Than Just Magic) rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Literary Fiction fans, Those who liked The Bishop's Man

Shelves: 2012, canlit, genre-literary, sent-for-review

Originally reviewed on Christa's Hooked on Books

After spending a few days with this novel, reading and rereading passages, I can honestly say it is one interesting experiment of a book.

Once you crack open Why Men Lie, it won't take long for you to realize that Linden MacIntyre is trying to make a point. It wasn't always clear to me what that point was but there was definitely more than a simple story here. This wasn't really a surprise to me, his earlier book The Bishop's Man, also carried a str...more Originally reviewed on Christa's Hooked on Books

After spending a few days with this novel, reading and rereading passages, I can honestly say it is one interesting experiment of a book.

Once you crack open Why Men Lie, it won't take long for you to realize that Linden MacIntyre is trying to make a point. It wasn't always clear to me what that point was but there was definitely more than a simple story here. This wasn't really a surprise to me, his earlier book The Bishop's Man, also carried a strong message and after years on the fifth estate I imagine he probably has a lot of points/ideas he wants to get out. Trying to figure out, just what exactly he was trying to communicate was probably my favourite part of the entire novel.

I hadn't realized right away that this book is a companion novel of sorts to The Bishop's Men. Effie is the sister of Duncan, the protagonist of The Bishop's Man. She's not a major player in the first novel but it's interesting to see how MacIntyre expands on her story. If you ever find yourself wondering what happens to a specific character after a story ends, you may be interested in Why Men Lie. It gives life to characters who otherwise would have be forgotten.

MacIntyre also makes the daring move of writing this new novel from a women's point-of-view. I say daring because I can't even begin to count the number of male authors who have fallen flat on their face when trying to attempt this feat. I have to admit he pulls it off pretty well. Effie has a strong voice and a somewhat overbearing attitude. And I think MacIntyre captures it perfectly. At times she drove me crazy and made me want to hit her over the head with the very book I was reading, but in the back of the head I knew I was supposed to feel that way.

This is a novel that gave me pause and still has me mulling over the question of "Why Men Lie?" That being said, despite the interesting premise and the strong narrative voice, this book is no Bishop's Man. It was just missing that captivating quality that made me want to keep reading and cast aside all the other books in favour of this one. Maybe that's asking too much? But that's how I want every book to make me feel - and having read and loved The Bishop's Man, I know Linden MacIntyre is capable of writing a book that makes me feel that way.

An interesting novel, that I recommend to those who are already fans of Linden MacIntyre, as well as those who love Canadian literary fiction. There's some good stuff here, it's worth taking a look at. (less)

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Jun 12, 2012 Anne P1 rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People over 50 who live in Toronto

Recommended to Anne by: Goodreads

This is the fourth time I'm trying to review this book. Everytime I try to edit my review, this program erases everything I have written which is extremely frustrating!!

I would not try again except that I received this book for free from Goodreads.

When I began this book, I did not realize that this is the last part of a trilogy. It may have been helpful to have read the other books prior to this one in order to have a more complete understanding of the characters.

The story revolves around an old...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Lori Bamber rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book after a number of novels by American and UK authors, and my first response was, "It feels so good to return to CanLit." I couldn't really explain what I mean by that - it isn't simply the places and the names, but a particularly rhythm and depth that feels both familiar and admirable.

This book isn't perfect, but it is great - a great read, gripping characters, and a story that works as a tale, as a plot and as a series of opportunities to explore life's most compelling questions...more

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May 01, 2012 Leah rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the Bishop's Man, so I had high expectations for this companion story about Duncan's sister. Unfortunately, I was disappointed as I found the flashbacks disconcerting and the jumping from character to character to be forced. I was ready to give up after the first third of the book, however the story line finally settled into a good pace and I wanted to find out what motivated the characters. However, I really don't feel I was left with a sense of completeness at the end.

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Aug 25, 2012 Arlene Richards rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the second book that I have read by this author. I found this one to be a more rewarding read than "The Bishop's Man". However it does follow the same group of people from Cape Briton Island. The Cape Britoners seem to spend a great deal of time rehashing their youth and drinking. I found it disappointing the story teller, an accomplished successful career women got so little pleasure from her work. We never did find out why men lie.

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