We Were Liars: A narrative modes book review

By Sage S.

We Were Liars, written by E. Lockhart, uses various forms of interesting forms of narrative mode that definitely succeed in engaging the reader in the events, thoughts, and emotions experienced by the main character, Cadence Sinclair. Her story is told through first person, and her character voice is one that was fairly different than one's I have read before. Cady is a depressed, confused, and often disoriented young adult. Very early on, it is expressed pretty clearly that she has been forced into her mature state; and not in a good way. Often, the chapters end suddenly due to her passing out or lulling into a state of agony and despair, as her migraines seize her for hours at a time. Overall, it was pretty obvious that the main character had a lot of personal issues with the people in her life, and mostly, her personal conception of herself and her situation, which was often negative. The only thing that ever seemed to cheer her up was the memories and moments she shared with a few of her cousins and friend, Gat, every summer.

Cady Sinclair has a large family that she visits once a year on their little island. This character has an interesting way of relating information, and she does it in a way as to let the reader know the way things are supposed to be, or the way others would like them to be, and the way they are. The Sinclair family is one of inherited prestige, for they are generations of good looking, wealthy, white relatives; all whom are expected to live under the expectations of their grandfather. In the descriptive mode of this character, it is easy to understand the personalities and goals of all of her relatives that she see's on the family's island during the summer.

I found that it was often hard to orient yourself in Cadence Sinclair's life at times. This book reminded me of an angsty teenage version of the movie The Sixth Sense, and it was equally as depressing. The transitions aren't too confusing, it's just that they happen so often, and most times you aren't sure whether or not to trust whether or not Cady even know's what is going on, or if she is portraying the situations right. This all makes sense at the end of the book, in an equally Bruce Willis-The Sixth Sense-type way.

The exposition of this book is the most interesting narrative mode of all, due to the fact that the last chapter is the one that finally sums up and clarifies all the confusing things you wondered about, and were unsure if they would ever be explained. The author chose not to tell the reader probably the most important information there was until the very end, but the reason for that was solely because the story was told in first person. The exposition of We Were Liars was greatly sewn into the narrative summary, for numerous important events were not told in order to relay the story in the first person perspective. We learned and experienced everything in the order that Cady did, and Cady didn't know the truth. She had not come to find her own answers, and this is what made the book intriguing.

One summer, when visiting her family's island, Cadence Sinclair initiated a plan that resulted in the death of two of her cousins, her best friend and lover, and two dogs. In an act of rebellion, all of the teenagers agreed to burn down the most lavish of the mansions on the island, because it was the cause of many family disputes and a lot of envy among the older generations of Sinclairs. As the teenagers separated into different rooms to gas and light them up, Cady lights the downstairs too quick, and exits the house without realizing that the others may have not been done, and wouldn't be able to get out.

The whole story takes place a few summers after this event, and in fact, it turns out that Cady's traumatic migraines are a result of her repressing this memory completely. She is now the only teenage cousin left, and the whole time she is with her cousins and friend, they are only a figment of her imagination. The use of first person allowed the reader to truly believe that she was experiencing all of these things in the company of her lifetime friends, when in reality, they had already been dead for a few years. Throughout the book, I always knew that there was something that wasn't right. E. Lockhart plants that doubt in your head by implementing the use of a few forlorn flashbacks. These flashbacks seem to have a significant relevance somewhere to both the reader, and to Cady, but both are unsure how or why until the final chapter, when it becomes obvious that Cadence Sinclair can no longer lie to herself about the reality of the situation.