A review by fasmina
The Liars by Petronella McGovern

5.0

In Kinton Bay, a coastal town in Australia, a 16 year old Siena Britton makes the discovery that changes the fate of the town; a skull. She finds it in Killing Cave, a hidden spot in the town known for its raging parties. Siena assumes that it is from the colonial past of the town where a great massacre occurred and was completely erased from the history of the town. Resenting her mother Meri, who works as a reporter the town’s press, Siena takes the news to national levels with her YouTube channel. Meri is shocked to realise that her daughter has been at the Killing Cave, which is a place she wouldn’t want to return, for what she faced when she was 15. Siena’s parents think that the skull is of Blake, who disappeared mysteriously when they were 15. But the police has records of five missing men from the town with no leads in the past. How Meri, whose passion is hard-hitting journalism, Siena and her friends and the police try to figure out the mystery behind the dull, leading to opening more mysteries and past wounds.


This book speaks about several social, economical and mental health problems. Drawing attention to the colonial past where indigenous people were treated wrong and how the history was written for the benefit of the colonisers, small town politics and how the town gets affected by economical advancements, author also subtly touches bullying, abuse, rape, homophobia and several other elements. I loved the flow of the book and how the author wrapped the book with a question. The book spoke volumes about our choices, and how that changes the world, even subtly. This book is a great thriller that would make you ask for more of it.


{all thanks to @betterreadingau @allenandunwin and @petronella_mc for this amazing ARC}