A review by indoorg1rl
The Liars by Petronella McGovern

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was so rich and multi-layered, I couldn’t help but immediately charmed by it from the first page. 

Fifteen-year-old Siena Britton found a skull at a secluded place the locals called the Killing Cave, which she believed to be part of the remains from the town’s violent colonial past. Her parents, Meri and Rollo, weren’t so sure as their classmate went missing in 1998 after a party at the same cave. Siena’s discovery opened up old secrets, and soon she and her family were in danger.

Despite being set in a rural town, the story in this book was far from being idyllic. Siena, as a teenager, was so alert and observant; she was full of desire to expose the injustice that was brought upon the Aboriginal community by the town founders.

I loved how Siena’s outspokenness were so in contrast with her mum, Meri, during her teenage years. The multi-generational storytelling was exceptional, and I thought it was so clever that the mature characters in the book were portrayed to revert back to their teenage-self way of speaking when confronted by their abusers, implying that past trauma had the power to transport people back to a darker time when they felt small and helpless.

The ending left me (and I’m sure, many other people) unsettled, but I wasn’t too annoyed by it. It put me into a state of contemplation, for sure.

All in all, this was a rare example of a book that ambitiously tackled so many prominent topics at once, and was successful at it.

Thanks to Allen & Unwin for a #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.