Title: Lie
Author: Caroline Bock
Release date: August 30, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 224
Source: ALA

Everybody knows, nobody’s talking. . . .

Seventeen-year-old Skylar Thompson is being questioned by the police. Her boyfriend, Jimmy, stands accused of brutally assaulting two young El Salvadoran immigrants from a neighboring town, and she’s the prime witness. Skylar is keeping quiet about what she’s seen, but how long can she keep it up?

But Jimmy was her savior . . . .

When her mother died, he was the only person who made her feel safe, protected from the world. But when she begins to appreciate the enormity of what has happened, especially when Carlos Cortez, one of the victims, steps up to demand justice, she starts to have second thoughts about protecting Jimmy. Jimmy’s accomplice, Sean, is facing his own moral quandary. He’s out on bail and has been offered a plea in exchange for testifying against Jimmy.

The truth must be told. . . .

Sean must decide whether or not to turn on his friend in order to save himself. But most important, both he and Skylar need to figure out why they would follow someone like Jimmy in the first place.

Lie is a hard-hitting novel about being true to yourself no matter what.  I haven’t seen very many reviews for this one and I have to say that I’m surprised.  This is a book that deserves recognition and one that I highly recommend.

Lie is the story of a girl whose life is torn apart by a hate crime but not in the way you would expect.  You see, she’s not the victim.   She’s a witness and her boyfriend is the accused.  Lie is all about what happened that night and why no one is talking about it.

Skylar is needy, weak, and confused.  She is not an easy girl to like.  In fact, she’s quite easy to dislike.  She depends on Jimmy for her happiness and Lisa Marie for direction when Jimmy isn’t around.  She’s clearly been deeply affected by her mom’s death but it’s no excuse for her naivete and her willingness to look past Jimmy’s crimes.  However, she did grow throughout the book and while I still didn’t necessarily like her at the end, her story was completely captivating.

The book switches between many points-of-view: Skylar, Skylar’s dad, Lisa Marie, Sean, Carlos, his mom, Coach Martinez, the school principal, and the office on the case.  In this one case it did not get confusing and instead only added to the greatness of the book.  Each point-of-view shows a different person who has been affected by the hate crime and it shows how one crime can change a whole community.  Each point-of-view was really necessary to get the point across.

Lie is a rather depressing book, I give you fair warning.  This isn’t a light read with a fairytale ending.  Lie is realistic fiction at it’s best and to me, everything about it was perfect.  It doesn’t have a typical “happy ending” but it has a very satisfying one.  Caroline Bock may have written a fictional tale but’s a very real story.

Overall, Lie is realistic fiction that packs a punch and will leave readers thinking long after the last page has been turned.

Looking for more reviews of Lie?
Lilly Road’s review
YA Book Shelf’s review