we were liars book review essay

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By Meg Rosoff

• May 9, 2014

A patrician New England clan decamps to their private island off Martha’s Vineyard for the summer. Of the dozen or so Sinclair family members in residence, “No one is a criminal. No one is an addict. No one is a failure.” Three lies, the first of many, provide an irresistible premise for this ticking bomb of a novel by E. Lockhart.

All the Sinclairs are rich, athletic and beautiful. They have servants, money and stiff upper lips. They go to the right schools, play excellent tennis and are as brittle as porcelain, ready to shatter into a million pieces under the strain of rivalry, silence and greed.

Overtones of the Brothers Grimm and “King Lear” abound in this quasi-fable about the powerful patriarch and his three beautiful, useless daughters, all of whom drink too much and feud over who will get the biggest slice of the family fortune. Meanwhile the next generation — Lear’s grandchildren, as it were — raises the moral ante by falling inappropriately in love, fomenting revolution and refusing to participate in the traditional Sinclair game of vying for granddad’s money.

The liars of the title are three teenage cousins — Johnny, Mirren and our narrator, Cadence — together with an outsider by the name of Gat Patil. Gat is handsome, dark-skinned and charismatic, with passionately held political beliefs such as: “Not everyone has private islands. Some people work on them. Some work in factories. Some don’t have work. Some don’t have food.” Cadence’s grandfather cannot even bring himself to address the interloper by name, but for Cadence it is love at first sight.

While the Sinclair mothers bicker over tablecloths, earrings and trust funds, the liars dream of college and freedom and true love. Lockhart admirably captures the erotic intensity of shadowy summer nights when the grown-ups either are drunk or elsewhere, or both, leaving the liars — tanned and barefoot and desperate for intimacy — to kiss and shiver and swear eternal allegiance on the beach.

Years pass; the troubles in paradise intensify. Money is tight. Drinkers become drunks. Sexual jealousies surface. And then, during the summer of her 15th year, Cadence suffers a catastrophic accident that leaves her with crippling migraines and total amnesia. But what actually happened? Was it really just an accident?

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We Were Liars by E Lockhart review – cunning, clever and absolutely gripping

"J une of the summer I was 15, my father ran off with some woman he loved more than us." Cadence Sinclair, the teenage narrator of We Were Liars , initially seems very familiar: quirky, perky, sentimental and charming, blessed with an unusual name and a neat turn of phrase, surely she's going to lead us on a tale of unrequited love studded with witty one-liners. And indeed she does, but her story soon descends into much murkier waters, eyeing its teenage protagonist with a twisted smile and a tragic sense of the pain wrought by selfish, self-absorbed adolescents.

The American writer Emily Jenkins writes picture books and for adults under her own name , and YA novels as E Lockhart. I'd only read one of them, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks , the tale of a feisty teenage girl at a prestigious boarding school who refuses to play by the rules. It's adorably warm and funny, and I was expecting more of the same, but We Were Liars is quite different: cool, bitter and brutal, this compelling short novel casts a dispassionate eye on the insular world of the American oligarchy.

Cadence is the eldest granddaughter of a family so rich that they never mention money. Every year, the Sinclairs spend their summer on a private island, where the grandparents have built four houses for themselves and their three daughters, plus a smaller building for their cooks and cleaners.

The Sinclairs are beset by deaths, addictions and the tragedies that afflict all families, however privileged, but they tuck them away behind their strong chins and perfect smiles. Raw emotions are hidden by a curtain of politeness. "I don't know what happened," Cadence says of her aunt's divorce. "The family never speaks of it."

Cadence makes a tight little group with the two grandchildren her own age, Johnny and Mirren, and an outsider, Gat, who joins them every year. Aged 15, Cadence falls in love with Gat. At the end of that summer, she has an accident, a breakdown or some kind of illness, but she can't remember what happened, how or why. All she knows is that she was found on the shore, dressed in her underwear, the sea washing over her. "They tested me for brain tumours, meningitis, you name it. To relieve the pain they prescribed this drug and that drug and another drug, because the first one didn't work and the second one didn't work, either."

That was two summers ago. Now she is returning to the island, to her family, her grandfather, aunts and cousins, and Gat. Pills cloud her judgment. Migraines confine her to bed for days. "I lie in my darkened room. Scavenger birds peck at the oozing matter that leaks from my cracked skull."

Cadence narrates the novel, but she doesn't use the polite, restrained style that you'd expect from such an expensively educated aristocrat. The characters are not well-rounded or beautifully drawn; the descriptions are not lush or elegant. The prose is fractured, disordered, messy. This is the voice of a girl who has been broken and is trying to put the pieces back together.

Quizzing those around her, Cadence searches for a solution, an explanation. "I suppose that I was raped or attacked or some godforsaken something. That's the kind of thing that makes people have amnesia, isn't it?" The reader searches with her, combing for clues in the family's behaviour, the lies and omissions of a tight-knit patrician clan. Are we reading a version of Festen ? Or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ? A family gathering, an island, a secret – what lies behind this gilded facade?

Of course I won't reveal the twists and turns of the cunning plot, but I can say that when the secret at the heart of the book is finally revealed, it turns out to be nastier and more shocking than anything I had imagined. This is a cunning, clever and absolutely gripping novel, full of surprises, which sent me straight back to its first page as soon as I reached the last.

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We Were Liars (Review, Book Summary & Spoilers)

By e. lockhart.

Book review, full book summary and synopsis for We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, a mystery involving a four teenagers set on a private island.

In We Were Liars , Cadence Sinclair is the eldest granddaughter in the wealthy and attractive Sinclair family. All athletic and blond, the Sinclairs live off of Grandfather Harris's fortune and spend their summers vacationing on his private island.

Cadence and her friends are nicknamed the Liars and are a tightly-knit group until one summer when Cadence ends up in a serious accident. As Cadence pieces together the circumstances of her accident, she will discover the truth about herself and her family.

(The Full Plot Summary is also available, below)

Full Plot Summary

One paragraph version: Cadence Sinclair comes from a family of wealthy and beautiful people. They spend their summers on their private island. The summer she is 15, she has an accident that leaves her with a brain injury, with migraines and gaps in her memory. Two years later, she returns to the private island determined to figure out what happened that summer. She slowly recalls her bits pieces of fights between her mother and aunts over inheritances and assets, fueled by her grandfather pitting them against one another. Finally, in the end, Cadence remembers that she and the other teenage grandchildren had decided to burn down their grandfather's house when it was empty in anger over being dragged into their parents' fights over money. However, it went poorly and the other teens died in the fire. The migraines and memory loss were a result of her guilt and inability to face the truth.

In Part I , the book introduces Cadence Sinclair , who is the eldest granddaughter in the wealthy and beautiful Sinclair family. Everyone in the Sinclair family is blond and athletic, and their patriarch is Cadence's grandfather Harris , who is the one who made the family fortune that they all live off of.

The Sinclair family spends each summer on Beechwood Island , a small private island where Harris has built four summer homes, one for him and his wife Tipper and other three for each of their three daughters ( Penny, Bess and Cassie ).

There are two other grandchildren who are Cadence's age -- Johnny and Mirren . Johnny's mother also dates an man named Ed, whose nephew Gat Patil is their age as well. Together, these four (Cadence, Johnny, Mirren and Gat) hang out together during the summer and have been nicknamed the Liars by the family.

The summer the Liars are all 14 (" summer 14 "), Cadence and Gat starts developing feelings for each other. The following year, Tipper passes away and Cadence's parents divorce. When Cadence returns to the island the next summer (" summer 15 "), Gat has a girlfriend back home. Still, Cadence and Gat continue to flirt and occasionally kiss.

That summer, Cadence has a swimming accident resulting an un-diagnosable brain injury, which causes her to have gaps in her memory and gives her migraines afterwards. She stops hearing from Gat. The following year, she flunks her classes, dyes her hair black, loses her friends and drops all her school activities. The next summer, summer 16 , Cadence goes to Europe with her father, and she's hurt that she doesn't hear from the other Liars at all.

In Part II , that year, Cadence embarks on a project of giving away all her stuff, since she wants to be less materialistic. Cadence also insists on going back to Beechwood for summer 17 , and her mother arranges for her to go to the island for four weeks.

In Part III , Cadence arrives at Beechwood determined to figure out what happened during summer 15. However, everyone says that the doctors want her to recall it on her own. As she recalls bits and pieces, she remembers her mother and her siblings fighting over their inheritances and Granddad's assets, though they seem to be getting along well in present day. Cadence also notices how her Granddad's house has now been remodeled and is missing all of Tipper's old things.

In Part IV , Cadence finally recalls that there was a fire during summer 15. The Liars had set it on purpose. During summer 15, without Tipper to keep them at bay, their mothers' fighting had gotten much worse, spurred on by Granddad them against each other in order to regain his sense of control. In turn, their mothers started demanding that the kids get involved in their fight as well. Granddad had also become hostile toward Gat once he saw that Gat and Cadence were involved.

The Liars had gotten the idea to burn down Granddad's house when everyone was gone in order to destroy what they viewed as a "symbol" of everything that was wrong in their family (this is why all Tipper's things are gone now). Upon remembering all this, Cadence initially feels triumphant, thinking that their plan worked since their mothers aren't fighting anymore. H

In Part V, Cadence finally remembers the last bit, that not only did Granddad's dogs died in the fire, so did the rest of the Liars. Johnny, Mirren and Gat weren't able to get out of the house in time after Cadence lit the first match. Instead, only Cadence was able to get out. The book ends with Cadence finally facing her guilt and knowing that she will endure.

For more detail, see the full Section-by-Section Summary .

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Book Review

We Were Liars , by E. Lockhart, is one of those books I’ve been meaning to read for a long time. It’s considered a young adult novel, but most seem to recommend it for the older end of that bracket.

It’s also a great beach read for those looking for some summer reading and it’s the pick for one of my book clubs this month! So, I thought I’d review it here even though the book was published back in 2014. It’s one of those books that has managed to keep cropping up many years after it’s release.

We Were Liars is a YA mystery involving a group of teenagers who vacation with their family on a private island during the summers. When summering on the island, one of the teenagers, Cadence, ends up with a brain injury as the result of a swimming accident when she’s 15. Two years later, she returns to the island to piece together what really happened.

It’s a family drama that also offers a surprisingly incisive look at the corrosive effect of wealth on familial relationships. Despite this being a YA novel, I think it handles the topic more effectively than many adult novels.

The construction of the story itself is very solid. I’ve read a lot of mysteries that rely on a lot of nonsensical things (people acting in completely irrational or outlandish ways, ridiculous plot twists, etc.) and this is not one of those books. From beginning to end, you can tell how carefully thought-out and plotted the book is.

When the ending was revealed, I was surprised by it, but it also made total sense. Though I should mention that a large portion of my book club guessed the ending so perhaps your mileage will differ.

Some Criticisms

That all said, while I felt the story was very well-constructed and a good mystery, but I’m a little on the fence on how much I actually enjoyed the process of reading it. The writing style made sense for the story being told, but didn’t really appeal to me. I also felt like the middle part of the book where Cadence (and therefore you as the reader) have no hint of what’s really going on drags on for a little too long.

Stylistically, the writing comes across as a little angsty and indulgent. I wouldn’t like this style for most books, but it seems to make sense for a narrative told in the perspective of a disillusioned 17-year-old girl. I personally didn’t particularly enjoy the writing style, but I think it works for this particular story.

Read it or Skip it?

If you like mysteries, I think this one is worth a read, though opinions tend to be mixed on this novel. It does make for good summer reading, since it’s an easy read that’s set on summers on a private beach.

My book club chose this book, though I think it’s just okay as a book club read. There’s a decent amount of substance there involving how wealth impacts their family dynamics, but it’s less layered of a story that I’d ideally like for a book club read since I typically recommend books that have more “stuff” to discuss.

Have you read We Were Liars before? What did you think? See We Were Liars on Amazon.

We Were Liars Audiobook

Narrated by : Ariadne Meyers Length : 6 hours 26 minutes

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Book Excerpt

Read the first pages of We Were Liars

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I’m a teacher and was required to read this book with seniors. The book was a good story about cousins growing up on an island during the Summer months. .I like the references to “King Lear,” and that there was a story in a story being told. Cadence falls in love with Gat and the parents fight over their father’s estate. I was hoping more would develop, for example, the cousins find a buried treasure. The students were confused about the mixed-up sequence of the story with the twist at the end, they didn’t understand that Cadence had psychosis. They thought at least one cousin would tell Cadence about her accident. It was a good story for a Summer read, but I think more of my students would relate better to a story like, “The Outsiders,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” or “Speak.”

We Were Liars

By e. lockhart, we were liars essay questions.

How does the opening paragraph set the tone for the story that follows?

Cadence opens the novel with a series of claims, although they are uttered with such an ironic tone that it is clear she means the opposite of what she is saying. By saying that no one in the "beautiful Sinclair family" is a criminal, addict, or failure, Cadence repeats the lies the Sinclair family tells to both themselves and outsiders on a daily basis. To maintain the dignity of their privileged social position, they portray themselves as a happy, successful, well-adjusted family; but this could not be further from the truth. Cadence and her aunts are addicts: Cadence to Percocet, her aunts to alcohol. Not one of the aunts has managed to keep their marriage together or hold down a career. And Cadence, unbeknownst to the others, is the criminal responsible for burning down Clairmont and unwittingly taking the Liars' lives. By beginning the book in this ironic tone, Cadence establishes that her family exists behind a repressive veneer of perfection that Cadence, over the course of the novel, will steadily peel away.

What is Cadence's motive for setting fire to Clairmont?

Cadence convinces the Liars to set fire to Clairmont, the oldest house on Beechwood, because they view it as a symbol of the patriarchal power Harris is wielding over the family. Following Tipper's death, Penny, Carrie, and Bess rile each other up with petty disputes over who should inherit which of her possessions. The conflict escalates into a broader dispute over whether Bess, with her many children, should trade houses with Penny, who only has Cadence. Harris does nothing to ease the tension, instead acting manipulatively by secretly siding with each of his daughters in turn. Rather than show leadership and genuine care for his daughters, he relishes the way they fawn over him to get his support. The Liars feel alienated from the conflict and wish to bring about its end with radical action. Seeing Clairmont as representative of the patriarchal power Harris is abusing, the Liars torch the building, genuinely believing that its eradication will precipitate an almost-spiritual cleansing of the family, reminding them of the relationships that truly matter.

Why is it significant that Cadence gives away possessions following summer fifteen?

Cadence's compulsion to rid herself of possessions is significant because it reveals the guilt she feels for being the only Liar to survive the Clairmont fire she set. In her narration, Cadence refers to her new habit as a "project" to give away one possession every day. Still experiencing the selective amnesia that has led her to block out the details of the fire, Cadence doesn't analyze her behavior: she just gives things away. The reader doesn't know what to make of her peculiar habit until Cadence recovers her missing memories, remembering that medical observers noted her "disquieting desire to rid herself of all unnecessary possessions, even things of sentimental value, almost as if doing penance for past crimes." Once the reader learns that Cadence is responsible for setting her floor on fire too early and thus trapping the Liars inside, her "project" is revealed as a subconscious need to punish herself.

What is the significance of Penny's decision to redecorate her home when her husband leaves her?

Penny's decision to redecorate her home immediately after her husband abandons her is significant because it symbolizes her denial. While Cadence reacts to the sight of her father pulling out of their driveway for the last time by falling on the lawn and feeling as though he has shot her in the chest, Penny reprimands her daughter for showing emotional vulnerability and makes her get up. Instead of acknowledging their grief over the major rupture that has just occurred, Penny and Cadence empty the house of any sentimental objects related to Cadence's father. Going further, Penny hires people to redecorate the home, sublimating her emotional pain into a project that has the dual benefit of keeping her busy while erasing the environment she shared with her husband and starting over. Ultimately, the action helps Penny pretend he never existed.

Why is it significant that Carrie turns down Ed's marriage proposal?

That Carrie turns down a marriage proposal from the man she has been living with for ten years is significant because her decision reveals the extent to which Harris maintains patriarchal control over his daughters. Although Harris and Tipper are Democrat-voting liberals, they are nonetheless prejudiced against Ed and Gat, who are of Indian descent. While their ethnicity doesn't faze Cadence, Gat has to explain to Cadence that her beloved grandfather is a racist. In a heated exchange, Gat expresses his frustration over how Cadence's economic and social privilege blinds her to the reality he and Ed cannot ignore. Knowing her father's prejudice against Ed, Carrie is afraid that formalizing their relationship with marriage risks provoking Harris to cut her out of his will. This fact is particularly significant because after Gat opens Cadence's eyes to her grandfather's patriarchal manipulation, she is compelled to retaliate by attacking Clairmont, the symbol of Harris's power.

We Were Liars Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for We Were Liars is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Study Guide for We Were Liars

We Were Liars study guide contains a biography of E. Lockhart, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About We Were Liars
• We Were Liars Summary
• Character List

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We were liars.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 19 Reviews
• Kids Say 117 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

A privileged life goes askew in haunting summer mystery.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that National Book Award finalist E. Lockhart's We Were Liars is a mystery involving privileged families at their summer retreat near Martha's Vineyard. Violence lurks beneath the golden life that Cady and her family enjoy on Beechwood Island, and there's an accident that causes death…

Why Age 13+?

Violence and death are themes, but not always in a literal sense. When Cady fall

Swear words are infrequent but powerful when used: "ass," "damn," "God," "Jesus,

Cadence and Gat are particularly aware of the trappings that go with the good li

Kissing and sensual exploration with shirts off, but no graphic details.

Underage and adult drinking and drunkenness. Cadence takes Percocet for pain and

Any Positive Content?

Readers get a feel for old-money institutions, lifestyles, preppy fashion, and E

The Liars show devotion to each other, but the choices they make are questionabl

Few people in Cady's life act selflessly, but Gat and Mirren both have some thin

Violence & Scariness

Violence and death are themes, but not always in a literal sense. When Cady falls victim to migraines or fantasies, the images she conjures up are bloody and brutal. For example, she says that her father "took out a handgun and shot me in the chest." It's believable for a second, but then the reader understands that this is only a metaphor for him leaving her during her parent's divorce. Cady also has suicide fantasies, imagining herself to be "a beautiful corpse." A terrible accident does cause people to die.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Swear words are infrequent but powerful when used: "ass," "damn," "God," "Jesus," "bulls--t," "s--tty," "f--ck," "f--cking," "f--ckload," "f--cked up."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Cadence and Gat are particularly aware of the trappings that go with the good life: a Saab, BMW, Tiffany items, iPads, and the colleges Harvard, Bryn Mawr, and Pomona. A couple of video games get mentioned: Angry Birds and DragonVale . Notably, most of the tension in the book has to do with who inherits what, so those lovely things and beautiful homes are very important to most of the characters.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Underage and adult drinking and drunkenness. Cadence takes Percocet for pain and admits she's possibly addicted to it.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Educational Value

Readers get a feel for old-money institutions, lifestyles, preppy fashion, and East Coast vacation spots.

Positive Messages

The Liars show devotion to each other, but the choices they make are questionable. Gat tries to teach the Liars about life for the other 99 percent of the world, but they're not interested in poverty and struggle.

Positive Role Models

Few people in Cady's life act selflessly, but Gat and Mirren both have some things to say about being compassionate. Parents are checked out and tipsy.

Parents need to know that National Book Award finalist E. Lockhart 's We Were Liars is a mystery involving privileged families at their summer retreat near Martha's Vineyard. Violence lurks beneath the golden life that Cady and her family enjoy on Beechwood Island, and there's an accident that causes death. Arguments, feuds, and revenge are fueled by questions of who will inherit the Sinclair fortune. Sex (kissing, sensual exploration), drinking, drug use (a pain killer), and language here are pretty tame compared with other books for teens. Swearing includes "bulls--t," "s--tty," and "f--k" and its variations.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

• Parents say (19)
• Kids say (117)

Based on 19 parent reviews

IT DEPENDS ON THE KID!!!!!!!!!

What's the story.

Cadence Sinclair Eastman spends summers on her family's island near Martha's Vineyard. Yes, her family has an entire island, where each of Harris Sinclair's three daughters has a house. The kids who populate these houses are cousins and cohorts; the oldest posse of the cousins call themselves the Liars. Her parents' dramatic divorce leaves Cady with horrible migraines. She finds comfort at Beechwood Island with her cousins, particularly with a stepcousin named Gat. The Sinclair family begins to fracture, as the aunts vie for their share of the inheritance, and the Liars decide to take matters into their own hands.

Is It Any Good?

It's the kind of story many kids dream of playing a role in -- golden sunsets on a private island, a tight-knit family, funny and cool kids -- but the characters aren't developed enough to be loved. In fact, readers never get a real sense of why the kids earned the name Liars. The half-sentences and lists provide a poetic tone, lending a smart edge to a mysterious narrative, but the meat of the story, the bond between the Liars themselves, is not entirely clear. Although the drunken family members are supposed to be pitied, they're simply too aloof to provoke compassion. The references to King Lear are obvious to the point of being redundant.

E. Lockhart writes with confidence about upper-crust life on the East Coast ("The Sinclairs are tall, athletic and handsome...Our smiles are wide, our chins square, and our tennis serves aggressive"). And there are moments where the island comes to life in beautiful, nautical colors. Moreover, the plot twist ends up revealing something truly shocking, and it makes reading the novel worth the effort. But whether We Were Liars succeeds in making the reader really care about its characters' fate is another question.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how family expectations can hurt a teen's sense of self. All parents want the best for their kids, but what's going on in We Were Liars that makes those expectations unbearable? How do the kids react?

Cadence sends a number of emails to her cousins that are left unanswered, and she's very hurt by this. How does social media serve to connect us, and how can we be hurt by it?

The little kids on the island are totally involved in video games and their iPads. What are they missing out on? How much time do you spend gaming? What might you be missing out on?

Book Details

• Author : E. Lockhart
• Genre : Mystery
• Topics : Brothers and Sisters , Friendship , High School
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Delacorte Press
• Publication date : May 13, 2014
• Number of pages : 225
• Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Last updated : April 12, 2019

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We Were Liars

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Wealth and Greed

E. Lockhart’s novel We Were Liars documents the wealthy Sinclair family’s fall from grace. The Sinclair sisters— Penny , Carrie , and Bess , all of whom stand to inherit a lot of money from their father, Harris —become greedy and jealous of one another after their mother, Tipper Taft , dies, and they begin to split up her prized possessions. Such greed dominates their lives, as the sisters spend most of their time drinking…

Bigotry and Exclusion

In We Were Liars, the Sinclair family is obsessed with keeping up appearances, which is manifested in a clan-like mentality that breeds racism and bigotry. The novel suggests that this focus on appearances is inherently exclusionary, and that the traditional image of old, powerful New England families belies dangerous beliefs about ethnic and cultural superiority. In particular, Harris ’s need to keep up appearances only serves to hurt those he loves, including his own children…

Death, Loss, and Memory

The Sinclairs respond to death and loss by denying them entirely, choosing to block painful memories rather than deal with them directly. In her search for answers about her mysterious accident, Cady explores the question of whether it would be easier to forget the past or to recognize and learn from it. While the Sinclair family adheres to the idea that “silence is a protective coating over pain,” Cady’s experience of recovering her memories demonstrates…

Lies and Invention

We Were Liars is a meditation on the nature of objective truth. As the title itself implies, lies, misrepresentation, and fabrication are woven through the novel. Although Lockhart never explains why Cady , Mirren , Johnny , and Gat are called the Liars by the rest of the family, the constant use of this moniker reminds readers to maintain a certain level of skepticism. And whether the characters in the novel are lying to get…

Romantic Love vs. Family

In many ways, We Were Liars is a story of star-crossed lovers, as Cady is forced to choose between her all-encompassing love for Gat and her place within the family. Many of the characters—especially Harris Sinclair —see romance as inferior to their primary dedication to family, and in consequence, attempt to thwart any budding romance that threatens their family bond. Throughout We Were Liars , family ties and romantic love are portrayed as conflicting desires…

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We Were Liars

57 pages • 1 hour read

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-3

Part 1, Chapters 4-5

Part 1, Chapters 6-10

Part 1, Chapters 11-15

Part 2, Chapters 16-22

Part 3, Chapters 23-27

Part 3, Chapters 28-33

Part 3, Chapters 34-40

Part 3, Chapters 41-49

Part 3, Chapters 50-57

Part 4, Chapters 58-63

Part 4, Chapters 64-67

Part 4, Chapters 68-74

Part 4, Chapters 75-79

Part 5, Chapters 80-84

Part 5, Chapters 85-87

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Discussion Questions

Do research on Greek tragic drama. Tragedies often contain moments of anagnoresis , which can be translated as "recognition" or "revelation." The tragic hero , after a long, figurative blindness, finally sees that he himself is to blame for wrongs in the world. Does this aspect of tragedy help explain the structure of the novel? Is the story a classic tragedy?

Cady begins with her family, and it seems as if her life experience is defined by the Sinclair family. Why and how do the Sinclairs play such an important role in her life? What makes them so distinct and so overwhelming?

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By E. Lockhart

Family of Liars

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Book Review: We Were Liars

We Were Liars is a mysterious young adult novel about a wealthy family who spends every summer on their private island. The story focuses on the main character, Cadence. After Cadence suffers a head injury during one of the summers, she cannot remember almost anything from that trip to the island. The next summer things are very different and Cadence has to try and remember why. This book is quite a page-turner. As Cadence slowly remembers more and more details of the mysterious summer when she suffered her head injury, it is nearly impossible to put the book down. However, not all page-turners are necessarily great books. The story of We Were Liars may have been intriguing, but the content was not very substantial. There didn’t really seem to be any morals, and if there were, they weren’t very clear. Things just happened throughout the story, and although it was a mystery, nothing was truly deep or thought-provoking. The ending was shocking, but after thinking on it I thought, “That’s it?” I think that the drama of the story tricks you into thinking it’s a deep book, but the longer you think on it the more shallow it becomes. Basically, this book is purely entertainment, which is not all bad, but it was one of those books that after I read it, I thought about how I could have used my time differently. Overall I would not read We Were Liars again, but it wasn’t a terrible book. If you are looking for a book that is just entertainment and won’t make you think much, this is the book for you. If you are looking for an exciting mystery novel, I would say look elsewhere. Reviewer Grade: 12

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Everything We Know About The ‘We Were Liars’ Show So Far

Prime Video’s next YA book-based TV show with a big audience and set at the beach will likely be We Were Liars , based on the book by E. Lockhart.

The rights to the best-selling novel were optioned in 2022 by Julie Plec’s My So-Called Company and Universal Television.

More from Deadline

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Read on for everything we know about the We Were Liars television series:

When will We Were Liars come out?

A release date hasn’t been specified for the series.

Is We Were Liars in production?

Yes! The series is in production, and according to pilot director Nzingha Stewart, the first episode has been shot .

Who will be in We Were Liars ?

Emily Alyn Lind ( Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ), Subham Maheshwari, Esther McGregor ( Baby Girl ) and Joseph Zada ( Total Control ), will play the titular four liars , or the main quartet of kids that take center stage in Lockhart’s novel.

Lind plays Cadence, the eldest Sinclair granddaughter of the family who has a fling one summer and fights a traumatic brain injury the next. Maheshwari will play Gat, a New York City kid who is thoughtful, smart and ambitious, but who feels he sticks out against the elite on the private island owned by the Sinclair family. McGregor plays Mirren, an artest who watches the world closely. Zada will play Johnny, the reckless, chaotic and charming ringleader of the four liars’ trouble-making.

Mamie Gummer  ( True Detective ),  Caitlin FitzGerald  ( Succession ) and  Candice King  ( The Vampire Diaries ) will also play leads leads — the three Sinclair sisters .

RELATED: ‘We Were Liars’: Mamie Gummer, Caitlin FitzGerald & Candice King To Star In Amazon Series Based On Book

Gummer will play Carrie Sinclair, eldest daughter of wealthy media mogul and patriarc TK. Her parents own Beechwood Island, where the family vacations every summer. She has two sons, but the upcoming summer may challenge her sobriety.

FitzGerald will play Penny Sinclair, who breeds golden retrievers and is in the midst of a messy divorce.

King plays Bess Sinclair, the youngest daughter of the Sinclairs. She has three children, and her meticulousness and organization know no bounds.

Wendy Crewson  ( Tracker, Gray ) is set for a heavily recurring role, as is Rahul Kohli ( The Fall of the House of Usher ), who replaced Arsher Ali in the role of Ed, partner of Carrie.

Who else is behind We Were Liars ?

The series is written and executive produced by Plec and MacKenzie, with the former writing the first episode and the latter writing the second. Executive producers also include Emily Cummins for My So-Called Company and the novel’s author, Lockhart. Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Amazon MGM Studios are the studios. Nzingha Stewart will be directing the first episode.

RELATED: ‘We Were Liars’ Series Adaptation In The Works At Amazon From Julie Plec, Carina Adly MacKenzie & Universal TV

The show was given a series order by Prime Video in March 2023.

What is We Were Liars about?

Set on the Sinclair family’s privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts, the story explores the lives of the perfect-on-the-surface Sinclair family, who have secrets among them. The three Sinclair daughters and their children spend every summer on Beechwood Island.

Something happens to Cadence at 15 years old one summer, and her the other three liars prompt her to remember the full story two years later.

How will Lockhart’s prequel book Family of Liars fit into all of this?

Plec will also adapt the prequel book, which tells the secretive story of a different Sinclair generation.

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