From the very first moment that I picked up The Girl Who Lied by Sue Fortin I was glued to it. Originally drawn to this book thanks to the atmospheric cover and intriguing title, this was a story that delivered so much more than I thought it was going to. It was the first of Sue’s novels that I have ever read before and all I can say is that it most certainly won’t be the last.
After her father suffers a terrible fall which sees him end up in hospital, Erin is forced to return from London to her hometown in Ireland - the village of Rossway, County Cork to support her mother and sister. Having recently received some unwelcome threats via email from Roisin, a former childhood friend who most certainly holds a grudge against her, it’s safe to say that Erin isn’t particularly pleased about going home. Whilst Erin makes herself busy spending time with her family and helping run the family business, a delightful little cafe, it becomes clear that Roisin’s not going to leave Erin alone. Just what has Erin done that Roisin cannot let go and what will happen when its made public knowledge?
As the main characters of The Girl Who Lied, both Roisin and Erin were two who I felt completely different things for. I have to say that whilst I appreciated the fact that she had been through an awful lot in her life, Roisin was a character who I really didn’t like. Throughout everything that went on she only thought of herself and what would make her happy, not thinking about anyone else and the difficulties they were facing. Meanwhile Erin was a character who I both liked and admired as, despite everything, she was brave enough to face up to her past whilst also caring very deeply about what other people were going through and what they were feeling. I became invested in Erin’s story and keen to see just how things would turn out for both her and her family.
This book is what I would primarily describe as a psychological thriller during which the relationships that exist between families are investigated and big secrets are revealed, with us seeing how different people react in very different ways. Piece by piece, Sue provides us with information and I became desperate to turn the pages to find out just what exactly was going on in a book where there was twist after twist meaning I genuinely didn’t know where the book was going to take me to next. This alone turned the novel into a very addictive read but Sue also very cleverly included another element which kept me intrigued in the form of a romantic relationship between two of the story’s characters.
If you’re looking for a tension-filled read that perhaps isn’t quite as dark as some of what is currently on the shelves, then The Girl Who Lied is a book that you definitely want to pick up. I for one am so glad that I made the decision to read this novel and am really looking forward to reading more by Sue in the very near future.
