When Klara was little, her mother disappeared, and all Klara has of her mother’s life are the stories that her father has told her, about how her mother Sadie was…. Suddenly, Klara receives a key and a note from someone called ‘N.R.’, with the key leading her to a store room. Inside are fragments of her mother’s past, along with a diary that she kept many years ago. As Klara starts to read, she realises that the mother her father had told her about and the woman in the diary pages don’t match up, leading Klara to question everything she knows…
I’ll admit, I have never read a book by Jessica Ruston before, but it most definitely won’t be the last. I was hooked from the very first page, quickly drawn in to the story…and even at the beginning I had so many questions buzzing in my mind. Why did Klara’s mother disappear? What happened to her? And later on I had even more questions – What is the truth about all of this? Who can Klara trust?
Jessica Ruston has written a fantastic story that I could not tear my eyes from. I was racing through the pages because like Klara I desperately wanted to know what was going on, what had happened to her mother and in what direction the novel was going to take me. At times I made guesses and thought I was right, only to be completely surprised when a twist was thrown at me. I liked that the novel was mysterious, Jessica doesn’t give away all of her secrets at once, instead unraveling them throughout the novel, and I really enjoyed guessing and trying to work things out for myself.
The novel is written from two sides. First we read about Klara, her life she has now and the moment she has the key and the note, going on to discover her mother’s diary. The other side we read about is Sadie, Klara’s mother, with parts written in the form of Sadie’s diary. I found these parts particularly compelling, I always wanted to know what Sadie would reveal next and she was such a complex character so I enjoyed her parts, they made the story that much more thrilling and gripping for me. There was a lot of suspense, and many issues are explored, including lies, secrets, family and relationships – I cannot explain how fantastic this novel really is!
The Lies You Told Me is a truly gripping and addictive story that you won’t be able to put down. It is dark, with many secrets to be uncovered, as well as a few fantastic twists and turns. Jessica Ruston has written an excellent novel and I can’t wait to read more from her.