Truth Darker Than Fiction. Review on Lies She Told - Cate Holahan

Sometimes truth is way darker than fiction,

Believes Liza who is engrossed in a story-writing mission,

Will she be able to complete her fictional thriller book,

That threatens to submerge her own life like a wayward brook!

About the author:Cate Holohan is a journalist and the author of 3 suspense novels. Lies She Told was published in the year 2017.

Plot: Liza Cole, a struggling author, is getting pressurized to the breaking point to complete writing her fictional novel in 30 days. A migraine sufferer, she occasionally gets blacked out. Her story is about Beth, a young mother, who has an insensitive, cheating husband Jake. She is overwhelmed with her household chores, her infant’s demand for attention, sleep deprivation and, most of all, lack of support from her husband.

True to the quote that fact is stranger than fiction, Liza’s life too is full of drama. Her lawyer husband David is petrified at the sudden disappearance of his law partner and best friend Nick. David is spending most of his time away from home either trying desperately to reduce his caseload or following up with the police on Nick’s disappearance. Liza’s desire for a stable, peaceful and blissful life with kids seems like a distant dream that gets more silhouetted by the minute. To make matters worse, the police start suspecting Nick to have murdered his partner because of a professional squabble. Will Nick return thus getting David’s life back to normal? Did Nick really do away with David for his personal gain? Will Liza be able to complete her fictional story withstanding this turmoil in her real life? Will she be convincing enough in the ‘Lies She Told’ in her story?

These two stories(fictional and factual) grippingly move in parallel, with Liza and Beth being the protagonists of each alternate chapter. As Liza writes her story with passion, she can’t help but notice a few factors that are shockingly similar to her own life. She realizes that her young protagonist Beth has become more than food for a storyline to her. Beth starts controlling Liza’s head and giving her advice on her real life! Strange as this may seem, it sounds reasonable from an author’s point of view. An author/authoress breathes life into his/her books by adding depth to the characters. For this, they may have to think about their characters’ qualities for hours and predict their behaviors in different situations.

There comes a time in the story when the lines between fiction and fact ‘get blurred’ leading this fascinating tale to a shocking revelation.

Quotes:

The drummer in my head starts a new rhythm; something ferocious and tribal.

Liza thought, “Beth would never stay here like a polite chess player, waiting for her opponent to do something. Beth admonishes me.”

I can invent too many reasons for my husband to have his business partner dead. I am a fiction writer.

My Opinion:This is a fiction-inside-fiction story and I immensely enjoyed reading this book. The feelings of each character have been aptly and vividly portrayed. This story had immense potential to become thoroughly confusing(my review may already have become confusing!). But Cate Holohan has put in much consideration to this aspect and the reader has not a doubt in mind about the parallel storylines. The narrative moves at a brisk pace and there is not a dull moment.

I would add this gem to the ‘psychological thriller’ genre. The revelation was shocking while answering the question ‘why?’ But this cannot be considered a whodunit novel, since the ‘who’ can be guessed quite before the climax. This one can be read and treasured for ever!