Group Read - None of This Is True Spoilers Welcome

[Ann]

This topic will be for SPOILERS Welcome comments about Lisa Jewell's August 2023 release of None of This Is True.
Please note how far along you are in the book with your comments and let us know what you think of it!

[Courtney]

Read (listened) to this yesterday & loved it!

[Geri]

I finished too and enjoyed it a lot!

The title made me question everything. Right away I thought Josie was an unreliable narrator. But I still enjoyed the story she told. Josie was such an odd bird and I did believe that a narcissistic mother and pedophile husband was to blame. I definitely felt sorry for her daughters too, suspecting abuse by the father.

Alix’s marriage was interesting too. I knew her husband’s drinking binges would be the end of him. One question I have is exactly why did Josie kill Alix’s husband? Because he didn’t like her? So Alix would let her back into Alix’s life? Alix might need her without her husband. Josie was definitely obsessed with Alix. Was it really an accident as Josie’s message said? Maybe all of the reasons I gave. That part was murky for me.

Even though Josie went after her husband instead of the other way around, I still feel like the relationship was wrong. Ick.

Once Josie’s daughters told their stories, things made sense. But of course, in the end we find out that the daughters didn’t tell the whole truth either! Very cleverly done!

[Ann]

Courtney and Geri - I just finished and enjoyed it too.
I expected dysfunctional. I certainly got it. The title really does tell the “truth”. I need to let this one settle a bit. While I questioned everything as the story unfolded I didn’t come close to guessing what was true and what was not.

[Geri]

Glad you enjoyed it, Ann. It DID get dysfunctional! A lot of twists right to the very end!

[Ann]

Geri - the very end! and even then, questions abound.

Geri wrote: "Glad you enjoyed it, Ann. It DID get dysfunctional! A lot of twists right to the very end!"

SPOILERS BELOW:
do not read further if you haven't read the entire book!
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the end game was certainly not clear, other than we were dealing with a person who was not all there in their head, but the second death really made me sad. I'm not sure I believe it was unintended.
Makes me wonder what caused that sort of break with reality, deep seated from childhood? from more recent events? from a bad relationship? "None of this is true" seems to fit every scenario. the answer might also be: all of the above.

[Elaine]

just finished reading - very gripping.
spoilers




I went through it doing a body count on the initial two people dead - so I kind of expected Brooke to be alive and also eating baby food.

I liked the modern twist of having different accounts and formats. I recently read The moonstone by Wilkie Collins, and it was interesting to compare to an earlier style of using different accounts.

I had to re-read for clues about Roxy and Erin - the line 'I'm going to tell you what happened, word for word' does make me think Erin was coached about what to say. I think there was abuse of the daughters by the mother, and for me it is unclear who killed Brooke. Roxy has escalating violence- an arm, a lip, so very possible, but Josie very much believes her own world view.