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Liar

3.33 of 5 stars 3.33 · rating details · 4,805 ratings · 1,185 reviews

Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents, and she’s always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it po

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Hardcover, 376 pages

Published September 29th 2009 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

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May 20, 2013 Bern rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone that likes thrillers. Or anyone that likes YA. Anyone, really.

Shelves: 2012, the-glorious-shelf-of-fabulousness, loved-it-to-bits, perfection, thriller-thriller-night, whodunit, favourites

As I finished reading Liar's last page, rereading its last sentence at least five times, shivers ran up and down my spine and my mind was overrun with the same thought, only it seemed like I was thinking it a million times all at the same time: What the hell did I just read?

This book is perfection. Seriously. Look "perfection" up on a dictionary and they should have a picture of Liar as an example. This book transcends all genres it is supposed to be to become more than a YA book with a really...more As I finished reading Liar's last page, rereading its last sentence at least five times, shivers ran up and down my spine and my mind was overrun with the same thought, only it seemed like I was thinking it a million times all at the same time: What the hell did I just read?

This book is perfection. Seriously. Look "perfection" up on a dictionary and they should have a picture of Liar as an example. This book transcends all genres it is supposed to be to become more than a YA book with a really engrossing main character; more than a thriller with a really confusing ending; this is 21st century literature at its best. It may seem like I'm exaggerating but I really do mean it.

Liar tells the story of Micah, an invisible girl who excels at lying more than at anything else. When her boyfriend Zach - or is he her boyfriend? - disappears and days later the police finds his body, Micah's whole school is in uproar. How'd he die? Who killed him? Was it his girlfriend? Did he have other girlfriends? Is Micah one of them? Is everything Micah says a lie? Yes? No? And from then on you're thrown headfirst into one of the best rides you'll ever go for.

To say Micah is an unreliable narrator would be an understatement. Micah twists the facts, changes them just so she can decide to go back and make them what they were before; she lies to her parents, lies to her "friends", lies to you, and then she apologizes for lying just so she can lie some more.

And you know what? You'll love it. You'll be anxious to see what she's lied to you next. You'll feel this drive to keep reading on, to swallow the book whole just to see what was a figment of Micah's imagination, what was a figment of yours and how the hell did she convince you, the people around her, and even herself that such an absurd thing had come to pass.

Whenever people talk about Liar and unreliable narrators, Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd comes up. See, in Agatha Christie's book the first person narrator goes on and on about an assassination, pointing fingers at different people only to in the end confess that the murderer had been himself. Liar takes a different route. By its end, Micah may have confessed to thousands of things that she may or may not have done, but it's not conclusive. You can't possibly know for sure that what she says is real is indeed and you can't trust your own judgement because the person telling you the whole story is about as reliable as a psychopath. Actually, Micah may as well be a psychopath. Or maybe she'll convince you that you're one yourself.

The beauty of it is that lying or telling the truth, you'll want to believe Micah because just like everybody else, you want it to be the truth.

And who's to say it isn't?(less)

7 likes · like · see review

Jul 10, 2012 Zoe Russo rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one, ever

Shelves: reviewed

What a piece of ****. The premise is intriguing- a story told from the point of view of a compulsive liar, so you can never tell how much of her story is true or what she's really thinking. I thought it would be cool, but within twenty pages I hated the character. She's nothing more than a whiny, self-absorbed brat with serious mental issues who lies constantly for the fun of it, blames all her problems on other people, and saw nothing wrong with (possibly- she keeps changing her story) sleeping...more

20 likes · like · see review

Jun 17, 2011 Dominic rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: banned-ya-lit-class, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is the worst book I've ever read. Yes, I've said it, and I bloody well think I mean it.

The premise sounded interesting: Imagine a novel told by a pathological liar who tells the reader on page one that she's here to finally tell you the truth. The ultimate unreliable narrator--okay I get it and I'm intrigued. Then take said unreliable, narrating, pathological-liar protagonist and make her an annoying, self-involved but also self-deprecating, and really kind of bitter teenager. Within 50 pag...more This is the worst book I've ever read. Yes, I've said it, and I bloody well think I mean it.

The premise sounded interesting: Imagine a novel told by a pathological liar who tells the reader on page one that she's here to finally tell you the truth. The ultimate unreliable narrator--okay I get it and I'm intrigued. Then take said unreliable, narrating, pathological-liar protagonist and make her an annoying, self-involved but also self-deprecating, and really kind of bitter teenager. Within 50 pages I had had enough; I hated this character. If it wasn't for my Banned Books course, I would have abandoned it; but to have done that would have meant missing out on, ooooooh, the "Big Twist" that comes about halfway through (and I'm just going to spoil it now for you because, really, I'm doing ya a favor here): yep, you didn't guess it (because you never could have guessed it), she's a werewolf. Yep, a werewolf. Oh, so that's why she wouldn't stop talking about the way people smelled or why she likes steak sandwiches.

I wanted to throw the book across the room. Not only did I get suckered into reading a werewolf book (something I told myself I would never do...or at least I know I thought it once), but the character keeps telling me she's telling me the truth and then it turns out to be a lie--or maybe it's not a lie. So it's page 170 or something, and she's tells us she's a werewolf. But yet, she's a pathological liar, so who really knows? Oh, who cares!

The worst thing is the book ends and there is absolutely no resolution. So even if you do end up caring, you are given nothing. You don't know what's true and what's not, and it's this whole big-what-if scenario, and I guess I just wasted a day reading this horrible book to end up with nothing. It's like I had just watched that whole season of Dallas, and then I find out it's all a dream. I felt cheated because those are hours I'm never going to get back.

Larbalestier's book suffers from a lot, but the biggest is that she is trying to be too clever. If she would have just stuck with the pathological liar thing, that may have had potential. Or, if she would have just written a werewolf book, that I'm sure she would have found a market with that concept (though I don't think she truly understands how books dealing with the supernatural work). In the end, we are left with something that tries to be a bit like Kafka's The Metamorphosis, a bit like Meyer's moneymaker Twilight, and oddly a bit like some horrible phony reality-TV shows on MTV--and turns out she can't do any very well.

Avoid this one like the plague.(less)

45 likes · like · see review

Jul 08, 2012 Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult, mystery, audiobooks, fantasy, supernatural, characters-of-color

Initial Thoughts: Wow, interesting novel indeed, and not quite what I expected coming into it. I think part of my enjoyment of this novel came from listening to the narration by Channie Waites, but the other part was certainly following how interesting a narrator Micah turned out to be and describing these varied accounts. She may be a chronic liar, but she's certainly capable of telling a good story and making you think what might be the truth versus what isn't. I kept myself at an arms length...more Initial Thoughts: Wow, interesting novel indeed, and not quite what I expected coming into it. I think part of my enjoyment of this novel came from listening to the narration by Channie Waites, but the other part was certainly following how interesting a narrator Micah turned out to be and describing these varied accounts. She may be a chronic liar, but she's certainly capable of telling a good story and making you think what might be the truth versus what isn't. I kept myself at an arms length through most of the story, not getting too attached to any particular thread knowing the unreliable narration of the leading character. I think I know why this book provides such a wide divide between people who love it and people who didn't - it depends upon what you take from it. For me, I followed it for the journey, and the big revelation that came about halfway into the novel - I didn't really take it as a jarring thing (then again, I wasn't thrown that much in other novels where the tone shifts into the supernatural in some measures). There's a part of me that wonders what actually happened given Micah's flawed account, but at the same time, I was fascinated by the way she manages to pull me in and sympathize with her in places.

I enjoyed this very much and hopefully I can explain it more in the full review.

Full review:

I'll fully admit that Justine Larbalestier's "Liar" had me captivated. I've never read a book with an unreliable narrator quite as fascinating as Micah was, considering her account of events kept me on my toes from beginning to end. She's by no means a perfect character - if anything, the line "My father's a liar, and so am I" tells you from the get-go that she's capable of being straightforward with her shortcomings. But the larger question that the novel presents in several spurts is just how much of the truth she's telling and in what capacity. I thought that the technique used in keeping Micah's account dangling on unseen strings was brilliant - though I suspect for readers who might want some kind of cohesive, forthright account might be seemingly frustrated with how this novel comes across.

Micah's put in the middle of a rather daunting situation in the backdrop of this novel. The boy whom she claims is her boyfriend has been killed and buzz surrounds her at school - that's one consistent piece of news in this story. A few other consistent pieces - many of the students suspect and/or are at odds with Micah herself. Most know that she's a chronic liar judging from her previous history with lying at school - from making false claims about her gender to lying about her father's occupation.

There's another secret that she's hiding at the center of her lies, revealed about midway through the novel that gives another eye to some of the ordeals Micah endures. I honestly didn't mind the turn to supernatural, and there were a few clues prior to that point where I figured it would go in that direction. I've had a history of reading several novels where the novel approaches a realistic spectrum to incorporate supernatural elements, and "Liar" actually does a great job with the transition. It helps that Larbalestier shapes a beautifully convincing voice with Micah, giving a realm where, if you take into consideration Micah's weakness and keep her accounts at arms length, it still manages to be compelling and one can sympathize with her with the way she tells her story and feel the sense of her frustration, anger, sadness, and isolation. It still plays with the readers mind as far as determining what is or isn't the truth, but the story allows you to get entangled within the web of Micah's narratives, however convoluted they are.

I thought the ending was brilliant. It's a mind trip. On one hand - you get a part of the true story, but there's a sense of speculative limbo it leaves you in as you finish the book. One that's dark, twisted, and in the same vein, remarkably intriguing. I think I understood enough, reading between the lines of Micah's account, to figure where she ended up, but I imagine if there are people who are looking for something saying "this is what actually happened" - you're not going to get it in clear cut terms. After all, Micah's a chronic liar, and that's important to consider in the collective narrative as one goes along, so that you remember never to take one piece as truth. It's really the kind of story that gives you enough to connect dots, but not enough to see the entire picture. It leaves you to work the image out for yourself, and I loved it for that.

Overall, I think its worth giving "Liar" a go. I think there are people who will certainly love or at least appreciate the dark, enticing twists and turns of this young woman's tale.

Wonderful narration of the audiobook by Channie Waites - I think she really captured Micah's voice and allowed me to connect to the character just that much more with the urgency and passion she delivers.

Overall score: 4/5(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Feb 16, 2012 Sarai rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, young-adult, paranormal

This book was crazy.

Micah is a pathological liar who is dealing with her boyfriend's sudden death. The book is divided into three parts, (view spoiler). It's a big guessing game from start to finish.

The book goes back and forth, before Zach's death and after, as well as short glimpses into Micah's early childhood. After reading about her childhood, her family history, her personal...more This book was crazy.

Micah is a pathological liar who is dealing with her boyfriend's sudden death. The book is divided into three parts, (view spoiler). It's a big guessing game from start to finish.

The book goes back and forth, before Zach's death and after, as well as short glimpses into Micah's early childhood. After reading about her childhood, her family history, her personal 'truth', and all of her inner fears, doubts, and feelings of loneliness, I still didn't feel like I truly knew Micah. And the reason for that is simple: I can't trust her.

This lack of trust is not a coincidence. It's clear that the author meant for it to be that way. That's what the book is about. Micah has lied for what seems like forever, and she's finally ready to tell you the truth. Will you believe her?

Even after unraveling the mystery and navigating the crazy twist (I avoided spoilers to I could really enjoy the story, and it was definitely an interesting twist), I still felt a disconnect. Not only did I feel like I didn't get a chance to truly know Micah, but I also didn't get a good feel of her parents or Zach. Just bits and pieces of them. The same goes for all the minor characters in this story. I don't know if this was done on purpose or what. The book is written in such a way that events are clouded in mystery and all you're left with is random fragments that you later have to fit together to make sense of what's really happened.

There were some things I didn't doubt or question in the story. Micah's love for Zach, for example. Or her feelings of loneliness. But I can't ignore what I do doubt: Is the Actual Real Truth the truth? Can I believe? I felt the foundation of the book crumbled for me towards the end, after everything was revealed, and it affected the way I felt about this story as a whole.

Once I finished the book, I was left with questions that will never get answered: (view spoiler) The lack of answers is disappointing and left me dissatisfied.

While I appreciate that Larbalestier attempted something different and introduced a unique narrator, the twist and the overall plot was overshadowed by skepticism and wariness on my part.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Sep 06, 2010 Laini added it

I think my head just exploded.

No spoilers, but . . . when I first finished this book, I scratched my head a little and thought I *had* it, but I wasn't totally satisfied, and then I thought about it some more, and then the explosion, and I wanted to reread it at once.

The closest comparison I can think of is Life of Pi, in which the reading of the book is enjoyable but a little unsettlingly *off*, and then at the end something is suggested that casts everything else in a new and totally devasta...more

17 likes · like · see review

Jan 06, 2011 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-and-ya, lgbt, fantasy, mystery

I first heard of Liar when everyone was talking about the controversy surrounding the original cover. I filed it away in the back of my mind, thinking of picking the book up when it came out. I was reminded of it recently when friends started to talk about it again -- through having read it, now -- and put it on my last minute Christmas list. Cue me getting it in the mail yesterday, and being almost unable to resist the lure of the first page, which starts with the hook, "I was born with a light...more I first heard of Liar when everyone was talking about the controversy surrounding the original cover. I filed it away in the back of my mind, thinking of picking the book up when it came out. I was reminded of it recently when friends started to talk about it again -- through having read it, now -- and put it on my last minute Christmas list. Cue me getting it in the mail yesterday, and being almost unable to resist the lure of the first page, which starts with the hook, "I was born with a light covering of fur."

If you don't enjoy unreliable narrators, step away right now. Micah is as unreliable as you can get, and the whole book peels back -- or layers on -- more of her lies.

For the first part of the book, it could be the story of a normal teenager -- one who has had bad things happen to her, and who is a loner, yes, but one who is essentially like those around her. It doesn't stay like that, though: if you're not a fan of fantastical elements, you probably want to step back now.

The thing with this book is that there are at least two ways of reading it. It's a delicate balance to walk, but Larbalestier does, in my opinion, walk it well. It wasn't wholly unpredictable, but I have been spoiled a little by reading other people's reviews. If you can, and this book sounds interesting to you, then try to go into it knowing as little as possible -- just knowing that Micah is a liar (not a spoiler: it's in the title).

The other thing that pleased me was the fact that the book has non-white characters -- chiefly non-white characters, in fact -- and LGBT content, plus a generally sex-positive attitude. There's totally non-explicit sexual references, there's an understanding of teenagers feeling and dealing with desire, and I didn't get a 'sex is bad, hush, we don't talk about sex' vibe from it.

(It irks me that there are likely people reading this review thinking, 'I'd better not give this to my teenage daughter.' There's nothing in this that would have damaged my fragile fourteen year old psyche. It's just people.)

I realise this doesn't tell you much about how I, personally, felt about this book: I read it within the space of an afternoon, and kept stopping myself after every fifty pages so I could drag it out more and enjoy it for that bit longer. When I put it down, I already had a list of people I want to recommend it to.(less)

9 likes · like · see review

Dec 06, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, fiction, 2009, mystery-suspense, cover-love, tricky

Micah is a liar. You can't trust anything she says. She will lie about telling the truth, and she will lie about lying. Attention-seeker, the shrinks say. Jealous of her little brother, they say. Does she even have a brother? Maybe she just made him up. Maybe she didn't. Maybe her dad is an arms dealer, maybe he isn't. But there's one thing Micah's lies have in common: they all hide the real truth.

Now Micah's boyfriend Zach has been found, dead, in Central Park. The place where they spent so muc...more

26 likes · like · see review

Jul 27, 2009 Katie M. rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

18 likes · like · see review

Feb 02, 2010 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark, life, mystery, not-graphic, voice, ya

One of the best books I've read for those who enjoy a hearty, potentially contentious book discussion; one of the worst books I've read for those who don't care for ambiguity and frustration. Immediately upon finishing it I flipped back to the start and began rereading, until I'd completely skimmed through the whole book again. I've just browsed through the other Goodreads reviews here and disagreed with the conclusions reached by at least half of those marked as spoilers. I'm dying to delve int...more

6 likes · like · see review

Aug 07, 2009 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

First off, after reading the book, the cover bothers the crap out of me. That girl looks nothing like Micah, not her hair or her skin color.

With most unreliable narrators, the reader slowly picks up on the fact that the narrator is unreliable based on small clues the narrator has dropped throughout the story. Here, Micah comes straight and tells you that she is a liar, that she lies about everything. Except the story she is about to tell you. This is going to be her grand entrance into the world...more

8 likes · like · see review

Aug 28, 2011 Lucy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, crossover, genre-bending

Liar is a head-scratcher from begining to end; just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, something changes, and you realize you still have no idea. No spoilers now, but there’s a big twist about half way through that throws the story potentially out of one genre and into another, but by the end even that twist is up for debate.

The most powerful thing about this book is that it’s told in first person, as a confessional account from Micah. She promises she’ll never lie to you, but yet she...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 30, 2010 Athira (Reading on a Rainy Day) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, format-audiobook, cat-youth-audience, fiction, f-fantasy-scifi, f-general

It is very rarely that I choose to read a book without knowing anything at all about it. Since I don't get much reading time per month, I like to have some idea of the books I read and also whether they have been well-received. Liar was an exception. I had no idea what this book was about, except that the protagonist, Micah, who is also the narrator, is a liar. Funnily, that is all you need to know. Anything else is a spoiler.

I've written a spoiler-free review, and I recommend that if you haven'...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 11, 2010 CaliGirlRae rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who like subjective POVs and mindtrips

Shelves: young-adult, audiobooks, mindtrip, mental-illness, best-of-2009-reads, 2010-young-adult-reading-challenge

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Whoa. This was one trippy novel. I'm a huge fan of speculative novels, am new to unreliable narrators and I knew the big twist going in (bad Rae!) but the complexities and overall haunting nature of the story took me by surprise.

As you know from the blurb, Micah is a liar. The book starts out like any other YA with life in high school and everyday living but right off the bat we discover Micah's 'boyfriend's' brutal death which shakes the school. Throughout the story, Micah unravels her life, he...more

12 likes · like · see review

Jul 01, 2011 Laura Corbett rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book! Very entertaining and thought provoking! Also has some twists and turns that totally caught me by surprise! I am guessing that I will be re-gifting to Jackie and Ben to read!

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 28, 2010 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2010

I have such conflicted feelings about this book. It's an interesting premise. It's about a compulsive narrator and in the first person, so you never know what to believe.

And that's fine. That's the point of the book (or one of them, anyway), but I'm not sure it's sustainable for an entire novel. I'm okay with not getting any answers about what's true and what's not, but . . . I think maybe it went on for too long. I'd have liked it better as a short story. For a longer work, I want something a l...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 13, 2012 Laura added it

Shelves: finished-irp-books

Liar is a book about a girl named Micah. She is realizing that she is not like everyone else in her school. She is shy, antisocial, and has no friends. The only thing she has going for herself is her passion to run. She is a really good runner. Micah is out running in Central park when Zach Rubin, a popular boy at her school, and he sees her and tries to catch up to her while she’s running. He says “You’re so fast,” he gasped, matching my stride. “I’m fast. But you’re faster.” Zach had a girlfri...more

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Jun 06, 2013 Dalia721 rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thought the idea behind the story was great! It was really interesting to read a story where you can't be sure that anything that was written actually happened. IT was also well done that she sprinkled in a few "Oh yeah I lied about that" because it's supposed to make you think "Oh this is good now she's actually tel;ling the truth I believe her" but it really just makes you think "Oh shoot, she could pretty much be lying about everything." Especially in the end when (spoilers I guess) she doe...more

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Jun 06, 2013 Brooke Skouson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: english-356

This book called to me by the title alone. When I saw the cover I wanted to read it, and then my teacher told us a little more about the book, and I knew that I needed to read this book. While reading the book, I knew the main character was a liar, but I never figured the lies would be so outlandish. Honestly, a werewolf? Oh boy. But, I really enjoyed reading the book for the most part, it was entertaining to read from a liars point of view. The only issue I had with this book was mainly the gir...more

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May 01, 2013 Blackwatch_vw rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

In short : one of my favorite books in 2011 ! I agree that it may be not everyone's tastes but for myself, i was completely taken by that story (or rather these stories!) woven by Micah, New Yorker teenager and compulsive liar. I love the way the author does end this book, a gripping story !

Full review (in French)

http://callioprofs.com/CallioWiki/ind...

Micah ment. Tout le temps. À tout propos. Mensonges pour épater la galerie dans son nouveau lycée. Pour choquer les professeurs. Pour se défendr...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Stella Dai rated it 3 of 5 stars

Is science fiction one of your favourite books? Do you like werewolf? Do you used tell lies? Do you interest in a werewolf who is a liar? “Liar” will be your best choice.
“Liar” is talking about a girl who is a liar as well as a werewolf.
Micah is a liar whom you cannot trust at all. Her boyfriend Zach was dead and found in the Central Park where they spent much time together. Micah was judged by her classmates as criminal. Did Micah kill him or there was a person that hates him? It's becoming m...more Is science fiction one of your favourite books? Do you like werewolf? Do you used tell lies? Do you interest in a werewolf who is a liar? “Liar” will be your best choice.
“Liar” is talking about a girl who is a liar as well as a werewolf.
Micah is a liar whom you cannot trust at all. Her boyfriend Zach was dead and found in the Central Park where they spent much time together. Micah was judged by her classmates as criminal. Did Micah kill him or there was a person that hates him? It's becoming my first curious question and attracting me to read.
Micah has a bad condition that there were full of lies in her family, “My father is a liar and so am I.” After Zach died, Micah decided to tell truths and some facts came up automatically such as Micah is Zach’s after school girl friend. On the other hand, Micah said she had a little brother. However, she said she lost her brother when she first changed to werewolf at the part three: The Actual Real Truth. The novel also reminds the illness of her family frequently at the first part which let me wonder what the illness for her family is. The novel is mysterious and leading me to keep reading.
The novel is suspenseful and crazy that attracts me so much. As well, the plots are twist. Micah had sweet memories with Zach. She loved him badly. However, Zach was killed and she was judged as a criminal. Zach’s actually girlfriend Sarah didn’t like Micah, but she became Micah’s friend. Micah was abandoned by her parents even she found out the criminal. Everything on Micah is bad and sad. However, author Justine Larbalestier perfectly offers a wonderful ending that is good for Micah and other people including the criminal.
The novel is exciting and attractive, but there is something I don’t like. The novel is made up of pieces stories. It makes me confused and I have to go back to reread sometimes. On the other hand, few events are clouded. For example, Micah and Sarah both are girlfriends of Zach that means the lies between the relationships. It’s sad and feeling bad for me as a student and young lady. And her parents pretended that they still had their son. They also abandoned Micah.
There also are some questions I do have: Did Micah truly decides to tell truths? Did Micah kill her brother? Why her parents didn’t trust her at all? Did Micah exactly tell truth to us? Can we believe those truths? After reading, the questions left and those made me feel disappointing.
Some people don’t trust Micah tell truths. However, I trust her. I believe that people will change from evil to kind. No one will be a devil forever.
Will you trust Micah’s truths?
(less)

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Apr 19, 2013 Wky added it

Independent Reading Project-Book Review
Date: April 19, 2013
Written By: Kings Wong

“It is a good novel of a liar”. When I first listen to the library teacher introducing this book, I was interested in this book because of the name of this book. This is an interesting novel with an unreliable narrator which I have read a book like this before. The narrator always lies and she is shocking good at lying. She is making you to believe with her “true and false” lies.
I have never read a book with an unr...more Independent Reading Project-Book Review
Date: April 19, 2013
Written By: Kings Wong

“It is a good novel of a liar”. When I first listen to the library teacher introducing this book, I was interested in this book because of the name of this book. This is an interesting novel with an unreliable narrator which I have read a book like this before. The narrator always lies and she is shocking good at lying. She is making you to believe with her “true and false” lies.
I have never read a book with an unreliable narrator. At the beginning when I first start reading the book, I thought Micah is going to tell me all the truth. However, she is just making things up and fools you around on the first and second part. I will have to admit that Micah is a fascinating and perfect liar. She can manage to lead me dive into the novel. This is a brilliant technique used in keep Micah’s account dangling. You will be getting annoyed by her but you will be enjoying it at the same time.
The first part is about Micah telling the truth, mainly focus on the fact that Zach (her “boyfriend”) is died and the conflicts between Micah and Zach’s “official girlfriend” Sarah. Micah is making things up and lying on the first part. I thought she is telling the truth to me. That is why I felt really sad for her of her invisibly and discriminated by her school mates. I would have cried and not going to school if I was Micah. However, Micah still going to school and she do not even scared of the discrimination and being invisible at school.
The second part is about Micah telling the “real truth”, I was shocked at that particular moment when I saw she is now telling me the “real truth”. Therefore, I believed in her again. She is talking about her family illness which she has extraordinary ability- she is a werewolf. I was judging that id she really werewolf or she is making things up again. However, I like reading or watching supernatural story because it is exciting and always with surprise. I admit that I was tired to play this mind game with her, but it was interesting that I cannot stop reading and reading until…
The third part-telling the “actual truth”, I was fooled by her again. However, I really want to know how will be the ending is. Is she lies over and over again even though at the end? I doubt it. She stated out ten lies that she has made at the end, but I don’t know if it is true or not since I have lost my belief on her.
After all, I thought the ending was confusing. It gives you enough to connect and leaves you to work on the ending. It could be anything you want or you think of. It is a mind trip between the narrator and readers. You want to know what the narrator is thinking, but definitely failed. You will be enjoying it. Micah is a chronic liar, and that is important to consider in the collective narrative as one goes along, so that you remember never to take one piece as truth.
Overall, I think it is totally worth to read this novel and I highly recommended to others. I think there are people who will certainly love or at least appreciate this novel even it did not end up as a happy ending and it have dark, enticing twist and turn of the story.
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Apr 14, 2013 Faith rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 04, 2013 Nick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Love this book or hate it, it has a compelling hook. It probably didn't hurt that I liked Micah, the unreliable narrator. She takes the reader through a series of twists and bends in her story, and she has that annoying habit of smelling everything, but I kind of enjoyed her narrative style, and I admired her candor.

Yes, her candor. Just because someone is a compulsive liar doesn't mean they can't be open. In fact, when the line is crossed from compulsive lying to pathological lying--which it M...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Kevin Hua rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was immediately captured to this book by the cover page. The large bold words “LIAR” and the back cover saying “I will not tell a lie” totally wrapped around my head. Micah is the protagonist, a compulsive liar, maybe a murderer, or even a werewolf. “My father is a liar and so am I.” Knowing she was a liar really kept me on top of this book. But one thing was I didn’t like this girls attitude, I feel that she is a spoiled girl that blames everyone else. I really wanted to find out the differen...more I was immediately captured to this book by the cover page. The large bold words “LIAR” and the back cover saying “I will not tell a lie” totally wrapped around my head. Micah is the protagonist, a compulsive liar, maybe a murderer, or even a werewolf. “My father is a liar and so am I.” Knowing she was a liar really kept me on top of this book. But one thing was I didn’t like this girls attitude, I feel that she is a spoiled girl that blames everyone else. I really wanted to find out the difference between her lies and her truths. I was into the book the first 150 pages, where mysteries happen and Micah was accused of murdering Zach, who she says is her boyfriend. “Zachary Rubin is no longer missing. His body has been found.”
I can tell you the truth that I don’t read many books, and that is the truth. This book has probably been the most confusing book I have read! The book was change time periods from before to after, after to school history, school history to before. The real confusion is when the parts are “telling the truth”, “Telling the True Truth”, and “The Actual Real Truth”. I didn’t know which one to believe! Maybe they were all lies? When the book shifts to super natural creatures I lost interest in the book. I picked up this book hoping for some mysterious and real life relatable scenes. Instead I get a twilight fan girl on Team Jacob that thinks I’m gullible enough to believe her. “I am a werewolf. There, I’ve said it.” But one thing that Justine Larbalestier did very well was to put the reader in Micah’s shoes. As I was reading the book, it was almost as if I was a werewolf, a girl, a liar. I can admit that I do lie, but not as intense as Micah.
The part that got me really thinking was, when she brings up the topic of killing Zach as a werewolf. “Now your thinking, “Well, she killed him then, didn’t she?” This proves it.” It was like some sort of reverse psychology to confuse me even more. The worse thing that Justine Larbalestier can do is, wrap up the book with a rhetorical question. Or did she? It was a kick to the balls, reading for 9 days and I end up with no solid ending? Justine Larbalestier was probably giving the reader hints but just enough so you could get the ending, but not too much to give it all away. I personally hate endings that leave you hanging. The worse thing is that there’s no sequel to the book! This book was hard getting used to, and after I got used to the changing of tenses, more confusion hit me. All the tense changing and the lies about lies about telling the truth about lies really interrupted my reading. I do recommend this book to readers who like cliff-hangers. Overall I enjoyed reading the book and it got me to sympathize for Micah. Personally I would have dropped this book if not for an English assignment. The only reason I finished this book was because it was for an English assignment. Overall I rate this book a 2.5/5. That is my review of my enjoyments and the flaws. Would I lie to you?
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Nov 04, 2012 Leila rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review contains spoilers!!! Just warning ya.

Right. I have a bone to pick with this book. The beginning of it is ok- shifty chick who dresses like a dude, teased about gender confusion, hooks up with guy who likes 'em with an attitude, guy gets murdered. Okay- plot's a little vague, but whatever. We can deal with that. Then it starts to get just weird. The narrator spins tales about her life with her family and more stuff about school and she doesn't really explain anything and she's always...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Ayanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Justine's purpose in writing her book "Liar", is to let the audience know a drastic, weary story. You never know what's the truth or a lie until the end. Justine also wanted to confuse the reader's. It became very clear that the author's intentions were to have you feel a way about a situation but than it would turn into a totally different subject. It would make you as the reader feel like you were reading a whole new book. It did have lasting value because of the different scenes of the book...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Aimee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit first off that I'm a sucker for unreliable narrators. I love it when a book makes me work to unravel the puzzle, and Liar certainly did that. I'm guessing the ambiguity didn't work for a lot of readers, thus my rating being higher than average. If you need a firm ending, this probably isn't for you.

I loved it, though. The main character is flawed and terrified of telling the truth, and it can be hard to tell what's true and what isn't. Hard, but not impossible. Also not cut and d...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Cara Rogers rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review isn't going to be long because I have extremely mixed feelings for this book. We read it for my schools book club and it...wasn't what I was expecting. Micah wasn't what I was expecting. Her story--the real one amongst all the "lies" she tells you through the book--wasn't what I was expecting. It was...good? Mind blogging? Surprising? A little disappointing? I'm not sure how I feel about the plot itself. But werewolves? Come on. I don't do that Twilight-y stuff.
But as for the relatio...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, unreliable-narrator

This review is about how I interpreted the book. I'm not actually sure how spoilery it is, but I figured I would be safe.

(view spoiler)...more This review is about how I interpreted the book. I'm not actually sure how spoilery it is, but I figured I would be safe.

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topics	posts	views	last activity
More complex than you'd think	2	13	Jun 11, 2013 09:47am
What's The Name o...: werewolf girl locked in cage of a new york apartment ?! [s]	5	154	Dec 10, 2012 12:39pm
YA e dintorni: Liar, II settimana (15-21 settembre): Seconda parte: La verità vera	19	17	Nov 05, 2012 05:55am
YA e dintorni: Liar, III settimana (22-28 settembre): Terza Parte: La verità veramente vera	27	14	Sep 28, 2012 02:54am
YA e dintorni: Gruppo di lettura di settembre: Liar di Justine Larbalestier	26	19	Sep 22, 2012 04:10am

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About Justine Larbalestier

Justine Larbalestier is an Australian young-adult fiction author. She is best known for the Magic or Madness trilogy: Magic or Madness, Magic Lessons and the newly released Magic's Child. She also wrote one adult non-fiction book, the Hugo-nominated The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction (Best Related Book, 2003), and edited another, Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentiet...more

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Trivia About Liar

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Quotes from Liar

“Really, according to the shrinks, I am angry at everyone ever. Especially them.

I am all anger and resentment all the time.

Not one of them has ever suggested that maybe I lie because the world is better the way I tell it.” — 13 people liked it

“Who’s the bigger liar?

Me or them?

Isn’t lying about love the worst lie? Isn’t that worse than anything I’ve ever done?” — 5 people liked it

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Liar

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