Book Review: Sometimes I Lie

Amber is in a coma. Her husband Paul and sister Claire watch over her as she flashes back and forth between the now – an unseeing witness to their anxious conversations about what has happened to her and whether she’ll ever wake up – and the then, the week or so leading up to the accident that’s left her unconscious.

As the narrative progresses we grow increasingly more suspicious of Paul – isn’t the husband always to blame, after all? – and Claire, as well as garnering insights into Amber’s childhood from diary entries. At the same time, as Amber constantly reminds us: sometimes she lies. And the truth we are getting is far from it.

This is an enjoyable, twisty, dark tale of obsession and a fine debut from journalist and producer Alice Feeney.