The Telling Of Lies: A Mystery

by Timothy Findley

The body of wealthy Calder Maddox is found on the beach, the stately Aurora Sands Hotel supplies the suspects, and amateur sleuth and photographer Nessa Van Horne investigates a grisly murder and man's inhumanity to man.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Mystery, Literary Fiction, Novels, Crime, Literature

359 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 1986

About the author

Timothy Irving Frederick Findley was a Canadian novelist and playwright. He was also informally known by the nickname Tiff or Tiffy, an acronym of his initials.

One of three sons, Findley was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Allan Gilmour Findley, a stockbroker, and his wife, the former Margaret Maude Bull. His paternal grandfather was president of Massey-Harris, the farm-machinery company. He was raised in the upper class Rosedale district of the city, attending boarding school at St. Andrew's College (although leaving during grade 10 for health reasons). He pursued a career in the arts, studying dance and acting, and had significant success as an actor before turning to writing. He was part of the original Stratford Festival company in the 1950s, acting alongside Alec Guinness, and appeared in the first production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker at the Edinburgh Festival. He also played Peter Pupkin in Sunshine Sketches, the CBC Television adaptation of Stephen Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town.

Though Findley had declared his homosexuality as a teenager, he married actress/photographer Janet Reid in 1959, but the union lasted only three months and was dissolved by divorce or annulment two years later. Eventually he became the domestic partner of writer Bill Whitehead, whom he met in 1962. Findley and Whitehead also collaborated on several documentary projects in the 1970s, including the television miniseries The National Dream and Dieppe 1942.

Through Wilder, Findley became a close friend of actress Ruth Gordon, whose work as a screenwriter and playwright inspired Findley to consider writing as well. After Findley published his first short story in the Tamarack Review, Gordon encouraged him to pursue writing more actively, and he eventually left acting in the 1960s.

Findley's first two novels, The Last of the Crazy People (1967) and The Butterfly Plague (1969), were originally published in Britain and the United States after having been rejected by Canadian publishers. Findley's third novel, The Wars, was published to great acclaim in 1977 and went on to win the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction. It was adapted for film in 1981.

Timothy Findley received a Governor General's Award, the Canadian Authors Association Award, an ACTRA Award, the Order of Ontario, the Ontario Trillium Award, and in 1985 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was a founding member and chair of the Writers' Union of Canada, and a president of the Canadian chapter of PEN International.

His writing was typical of the Southern Ontario Gothic style — Findley, in fact, first invented its name — and was heavily influenced by Jungian psychology. Mental illness, gender and sexuality were frequent recurring themes in his work. His characters often carried dark personal secrets, and were often conflicted — sometimes to the point of psychosis — by these burdens.

He publicly mentioned his homosexuality, passingly and perhaps for the first time, on a broadcast of the programme The Shulman File in the 1970s, taking flabbergasted host Morton Shulman completely by surprise.

Findley and Whitehead resided at Stone Orchard, a farm near Cannington, Ontario, and in the south of France. In 1996, Findley was honoured by the French government, who declared him a Chevalier de l'Ordre des arts et des lettres.

Findley was also the author of several dramas for television and stage. Elizabeth Rex, his most successful play, premiered at the Stratford Festival of Canada to rave reviews and won a Governor General's award. His 1993 play The Stillborn Lover was adapted by Shaftesbury Films into the television film External Affairs, which aired on CBC Television in 1999. Shadows, first performed in 2001, was his last completed work. Findley was also an active mentor to a number of young Canadian writers, including Marnie Woodrow and Elizabeth Ruth.

Reviews

[Jennifer (formerly Eccentric Muse)]

One of Timothy Findley's lesser known (i.e., minor) works, but displaying his breadth of style with his characteristic deeper exploration of the human psyche. Vanessa Van Horne--socialite, landscape architect, photographer, spinster ("'Young man,' I said; 'what I said to you was: I have never married. I did not say anything about my profession.'"), survivor of a Japanese internment camp and a series of heart attacks--has spent 45 summers at a family-owned, coastal Maine hotel that has seen better days, as have its guests (one in particular). At heart a murder mystery with an eccentric cast of characters, but beyond that a whimsical, even farcical (but no less sincere for it) study of friendship, loyalty and resiliency in the face of the corrupt military-industrial complex. Lots of tongue-in-cheek snideness about Canadian-American relations in the thinly-disguised Reagan years. Oh, and an iceberg. Probably a 3.5, but I'm feeling generous because I needed something light but engaging and this fit the bill perfectly.

[Maksym Karpovets]

Timothy Findley is a former actor and radio performer and scriptwriter from Canada who has written one incredible novel (Not Wanted On the Voyage) and quite a few good ones. He won the highest prize of Canadian Literal Association and prize of Canadian Governor-general. The author became popular with publishing two incredible novels – Piligrim (1999) and Spadework (2001). There is no such thing as a characteristic Findley novel, and this is no exception.

The story full of secrets, but don’t believe that it is a simply detective story or thriller. We cannot exactly identify what the author tells us about, because a lot of omissions and suggestions. So, the events take place on the south coast of Maine, at a resort hotel with an assortment of characters. The narrator/protagonist, a middle-aged woman, not only tackles and solves the mystery, but intersperses the main plot with memories of her experiences in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during the Second World War. We do not really know where the corpse has disappeared, why this death has awakened the attention of politicians from the White House. The only hitch in this story random shots of our elderly lady. Had she ever known how these shots changed her life!

People who need to read the translated variant can do this with excellent Russian version in well-famous Inostranka (Nina Fedorova did a brilliant work!). Nevertheless, you might spend a good time with this novel. It’s worth rereading.

4

[Garlan ✌]

I was a little disappointed in this book after having read and . The Wars was brilliant in places and Not Wanted was a very good read as well. In "The Telling of Lies", Findley moved so far away from these other two books in style and story, that I scarcely recognized it as being his. The writing was still good, but the story wasn't very compelling, and I had no deep interest in any of the characters. This was the author's fifth novel, but I didn't find it nearly as compelling as some of his earlier works. 2 1/2 stars upgraded to 3.

[Graham Mulroney]

This was the first book I had started in an attempt to get into reading. I chose it after reading the abstract on the back because it seemed interesting enough and was a good size (~300 pages). The beginning involved a lot of character, setting, and background development; then the true plot set in. The mystery, uncertainty, and investigating at the start of the main events gave me high hopes for what was to come. As the plot developed however, I was feeling disappointed with where the story was going and how the mystery was unraveled. Certain elements became predictable such as the presidents presence on Larsons Neck , which could be easily predicted immediately after it was pointed out that the police had gone to the wrong hotel after being informed of a death of high importance. Nevertheless, the story continued mysteriously, and the investigations became more complex. While I was hoping for more, these elements still made it enjoyable to read, and made me want to get to the truth, which was only possible with more reading. Pushing through this slight disappointment, there was a definite light at the end, as the ending was something I had not been able to predict. Not the fact of who the culprit was, or what the reasons were, but the fact that it wasn’t an ending that sees everything absolutely resolved. No one was left to be guilty of the murder, and many who were part of the investigations didn’t know themselves, still in the dark. The secret was for a select few to keep safe and protect, while in the meantime protecting the killer. After the disappointment of a large portion of the main events, the ending definitely lifted my opinion of the story. It was definitely an enjoyable read, but absolutely not my favorite by any means. I do look forward to reading many more stories however. And I am thankful this book could open the door into that space for me.

[Felice]

The late Timothy Findley is one of Canada's best known and most accomplished authors and its a shame that this delightful and openly gay man didn't write much about GLBT matters or characters. But the novels and stories he did write are excellent. The Wars and Famous Last Words, especially. And now this odd little mystery, set in a conservative, traditional Maine seaside comunity. The narrator is a woman in her sixties and most of the main characters are about that same age. Meaning that they have reached a mature stage in their minds and lives --which is a treat compared to reading about inexperienced immature people being stupid. But in the case of some of the men, it means they've reached a height in their powerful political careers, too. When one of the usual guests of the hotel is suddenly found dead, everyone seems to be willing to believe it was illness. But some of the regulars easily see what is not routine about it, and they come to think it was much more than that -- murder. When they begin to investigate, they unearth an amazing, complex, and dangeorus spiderwork of connections leading to the White House and the Congress of the U.S. where power has corrupted absolutely. In this novel, men and women are equal in ability, interestm and eagerness to get themselves into peril-- which is true in life. As one woman says testily when she is called a spinster-- "That is not my profession, I've never spun thread in my life." The book won an Edgar Award for best mystery of the year.

[Daniel Kukwa]

I'm not entirely sure what Timothy Findley was trying to demonstrate with this novel. Like Issac Asimov, was he simply scratching the itch to write a mystery novel? Or was he trying to construct a novel about buried secrets and facades, under the cover of a modern, Marple-light investigation? I was moderately intrigued for two-thirds of the page count...only for the novel to completely lose my interest after the introduction of a bevy of new characters that overload the story and stretch out the plot for another 100 unnecessary pages. As far from the usual mood and atmosphere of any previous Findley novel I've read...and not one I plan on revisiting.

[Abigail]

I don't care for mystery books; this is a mystery book.

[Judy]

Didn't finish it. Drawn out and rambling. Characters were completely out of their time frame. It was supposed to take place in the '80's but the characters were all 1920's vintage. Weird.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Calder Maddox's body is found on the beach. Lots of suspects! Amateur sleuth and photographer Nessa Van Horne investigates.

[George]

Absolutely love it!

[Лина Сакс]

Интересный детектив. Непростой. Читается вроде бы и быстро, но есть места, которые хочется пролистать. Понимаешь, что есть кусочки, которые тормозят книгу. Не делают ее хуже, но без них, книга ничего не теряет. И есть то, что непонятно зачем вообще было в книге и какую смысловую нагрузку несло.

Если попробовать рассказать вкратце сюжет, то получается что-то вроде такого... В последний год существования гостиницы к ней приплывает огромный айсберг и почти тут же умирает старый занудный постоялец. Считается, что он умер от сердечного приступа, но уж больно странно ведут себя приехавшие по пляжу от другой гостиницы полицейские и вдруг откуда не возьмись возникает доктор президента, который вроде бы как мимо проезжал. И может быть никто не стал бы обращать внимания на все эти действия, если бы не достаточно молодой, по мнению большинства отдыхающих, доктор, который, насколько я могу судить, действовал только из ревностно-мстительных побуждений, и в свои догадки он втягивает пожилую женщину, которая всеми конечностями упирается и втягиваться не желает, но дружба и любовь к подруге заставляет ее делать невероятные дела. И да, это был не простой сердечный приступ - это было убийство. И когда понимаешь почему и кто его совершил, то осознаешь значимость названия книги.

Здесь кроме основной истории, есть еще и история самой героини в годы второй мировой войны, когда она была в лагере. Истории не сильно переплетаются, просто на нее наплывает, как тот самый айсберг из тумана. И мы просто больше ее узнаем.

Сказать, что это замечательная книга, я не могу, по книге слишком много хвостов разбросано. Что-то начинает автор, как бы не заметно и не заканчивает, все это тонет в происходящих событиях, потом снова что-то возникает, не заканчивается и где-то повисает, а тебя уже уносит дальше по событиям книги. Я такое не очень люблю. Я помню все эти открытые события и мне не хватает завершенности, хотя автор их может и развешивал как ленточки на ветке, чтобы ярче смотрелось и глубину создавало. Но вот как он развивает ход расследования - это интересно. Есть, конечно, опять же штампы, как надо обязательно создать ситуацию, чтобы герои друг друга не слушали и друг другу мешали, потому что иначе они слишком быстро обо всем догадаются и кому-нибудь обязательно помешают. Я опять же такое не люблю, но этого было мало, что позволило книге получить четверку.

Читать ли? В принципе можно, книга увлекает и автор умеет создать атмосферу и образы. Это действительно может быть интересно.

[Rachel]

“Everyone has always known that Lily has a heart of gold; but we have also known it’s a chocolate heart and the gold is only a wrapper made of foil. Show is Lily’s forte- and her downfall. She wears that chocolate heart on her sleeve and it melts all over her gown.” (p.3)

“I always accept what I’ve been given- and make of it what I can.” (p.9)

“The morning star is poignant; always in peril and brightest just before it dies.” (p.16)

“I’ve never questioned that ability to subdivide my person, so to speak, into separate units- isolating one and concentrating on another.” (p.38)

“Love is not good to those who love with all their being.” (p.44)

“I can only think it was those prescriptive words on which we fed each day: it cannot happen to me; it cannot happen to us; it cannot happen here.” (p.104)

“Some women seem to suffer from terminal myopia when it comes to men. They take no part in the choosing. They are chosen.” (p.182)

“She’s with them twenty-four hours a day and all they’ve ever seen her do is read a book. It can’t be healthy.” (p.213)

“The truth is, of course, if you once develop a resource, it becomes a part of your character in such a way that you are more or less unaware of it.” (p.287)

[Tanya]

The Telling of Lies is a who-done-it, spy thriller kind of story, but with fairly regular close to senior citizens as the main characters.
While Findley's usual story telling genius compelled me to want to read more about what was happening I feel that the story overall is a bit of a missstep. No spoilers, but the ending wasn't what I saw coming and before you think that's a good thing (as I usually do), it wasn't because the ending was an ending I felt this story deserved. Findley paints the geography of Maine beautifully, and his word choice is amazing.... I could hear the gulls and the waves and the other sounds surrounding summertime at beach hotels. I just wish the story had moved somewhere that made me feel something, or think about something.
He's still the best though!

[Alison Gibson]

If not for Findley's fine writing I'm not sure I would have continued. The story itself wasn't all that compelling & the characters, a clique of wealthy summer-snobs who'd known each other's families for decades, wasn't a particularly likeable bunch. There was lots of hinting & innuendo and things implied not said to make the understated mystery a tad more mysterious, but on the whole whether Calder Maddox, a very old & loathsome rich guy, died from natural causes or murder, who besides the mistress would care? This reader certainly didn't. I found the era the novel was set in particularly unsettling...I could not get a fix of it in my mind's eye. The characters' speech patterns, manners, dress & behaviour all seemed very Miss Marpole-ish, until it repeatedly crashed up against the 80's. Still, I liked it.

[Janice]

While I enjoyed the characters and setting I found the plot to be a bit too fantastic for me - a bit much. There are likely so many themes about class and race and politics being explored in this novel. I'm sure that this would be a great book to analyse in an English class - the iceberg, the photos, Japan the Canada USA relationship. It just don't interest me that much. And why did honey hair have to die? Made no sense to me. But at that point I was happy for it to be over and I didn't care any more.

[Jean Walton]

Well this is not your usual mystery novel. In a way it is more of a character study with much detail on the various characters and also the back story of the narrator as the tale is told in the form of journal entries. I found it slow going at first as we are drip fed various details but I liked the narrator's bravery and loyalty to her friends though I did wonder throughout the book why Lawrence suspected murder. This query is not really answered until near the end of the book and there were other loose ends too.

[Rio]

I wasn't trying to solve a mystery while I was reading. Which you would think you would be doing while reading a mystery book. I had more interest in the characters themselves and the relationships between them then I did the actual who done it plot. I liked the parallels drawn between the main story and Vanessa's time in a pow camp, I thought it was interesting when she diverted from daily events into her own past.

[Elaine]

Didn't age well, I have to assume. Opaque in a lot of ways it wasn't meant to be, and transparent in a lot of others in the same sense. I wish I hadn't learned so much about one lady's vacation resort nicknaming protocols just to find out that the American government might be (gasp!) morally dubious. Glad I stuck it out to the end, if only so I could say with confidence how clunky the iceberg thing was as a device.

[Doug]

Quirky characters, quirky point of view, superb writing, keeps you turning the pages, even as the story gets more fantastic and unlikely. Lots of red herrings, some of which seem excessive: the iceberg (metaphor for truth), the photographs (what’s visible, what’s missing). In the end the story comes to a clichéd ending, hence 4 stars. (Would that I could write so poorly!)

[Chelsea Hill]

I had to read this for class and ended up really enjoying it! It was quite different than I had expected but I really loved the way this story was told. I found the narratives about Vanessa's past extremely interesting.

[Tina]

The writing style and the narrator's voice were offputting... kind of jerky and portentous, and I didn't care much for any of the characters. I made it almost halfway through and then just skipped to the end.

[Kenzie Beard]

Keeps the reader engaged til the very end, with twists and turns and an overall fulfilling ending. Anyone looking for excitement and mystery from a woman with a long troubled past, needs to read this book!

[Lara Samulenok]

An interesting study on how people interact as friends and enemies.

[Matt Root]

Rounded up from 4.5

[Daniel Wilson]

Perfect summer read. Exclusive beach resort, mystery, death and fancy clothes.

[M.C.]

book 6 connections challenge - same font.

[Daniel]

Absolutely phenomenal.

[Yong Qi]

Something about this novel captivated me, but I cannot pinpoint what. For the first time, I wasn't that crazy over the plot of the light mystery novel, where I did not try to predict what had happened and what would happen; rather, I let it take me wherever.

[Caleigh]

I love Timothy Findley and - with one exception - have loved all his books. But since the disappointment of Spadework I hold my breath a little each time, worrying that I might have found another novel unworthy of him. Fortunately The Telling of Lies is an amazing book, very different from others of his that I've read except for the common thread of wonderfully interesting characters. I rarely find mysteries terribly satisfying - the resolution is usually too mundane, too ridiculous or too obvious. I think this book falls into the first category, but I enjoyed it enough not to particularly care about who did it or why.

[p-ok-ahontas]

"Мне все меньше и меньше по душе собственное подозрение, что коль скоро мир всегда исчезает за горизонтом, то исчезает и жизнь. И что мы — подобно кораблям с парусами и шлейфами дыма — переваливаем через этот рубеж и попросту исчезаем. Лучше б я не верила, что смерть не более чем такое же вот исчезновение. Пятидесятидевятилетнему человеку эта мысль почему-то кажется недостойной, хотя я всегда считала большой удачей, что не разделяю широко распространенный взгляд на смерть как наказание или по меньшей мере расплату. Мне бы очень хотелось примириться с этим на удивление простым научным фактом: мы умираем. В конечном итоге важно только одно — как мы умираем." (с) "Ложь" Тимоти Финдли