They All Lied: We Were Liars Review

They were liars. On the surface, the franchise of We Were Liars is a summer drama about a girl, Cadence, who can't remember what happened to her last summer. It could also be a romance, about how the rich, white girl falls in love with the middle-class Indian boy. But if you look between the lines, the true message lies in plain sight. It sends a message about humanity, privilege, and the dynamic between man and society. I am usually a firm believer that the book is always better than the movies, but this may be the first time where this may not be true. The book and show are of the same caliber.

               The Sinclairs are an affluent family with generational wealth. They are supposed to be perfect and suppress all their negative emotions, even if it destroys them in the process. Harris came into his money after college. He married Tipper Taft and kept her in the kitchen and the garden. Then, they had the Sinclair daughters, Carrie, Penny, and Bess. Harris never had a son, which disappointed him, but he loved his daughters with all his might, until they grew up and became their own people. And then came the precious grandchildren. Cadence is the eldest grandchild meant to inherit it all—the island, the fortune, and most importantly, the expectations. Johnny is bright and snarky, while Mirren is sweet and sugary. “The Littles” are Will, whose mother is Carrie, and Liberty and Bonnie, whose mother is Bess. In the books, Bess has another son called Taft who is also part of “The Littles.” And then comes the outsiders. Carrie started dating Ed after her husband left.. Ed’s nephew, Gat, comes to Beechwood during the summer when “The Liars” were eight. Both Gat and Ed are Indian, while the Sinclairs are tall, blond and freckle in the sun. Gat was supposed to stay only for one summer, but Johnny advocates for him, and he returns for many summers to come until summer ‘16. Cadence, Gat, Johnny, and Mirren call themselves “The Liars,” but truly become liars to get out of trouble on Beechwood.           

If I were to explain this franchise in three words, it would be suspenseful, yet eye-opening. The author, E. Lockhart, expertly portrays the slight, yet noticeable discrimination that Gat and Ed face from Harris because of their ethnicity and social standing.  Her depiction of “The Liars” being desensitized to reality could be a reflection of people, specifically upper class people. People often are so desensitized to the privileges that they have, such as food, shelter, education, and disposable income.  She conveys how wealth can get people out of trouble and allow them to cover things up. Most importantly, Lockhart conveys how people’s ego fuels their taste for power and influence. And that is what being a Sinclair is all about. We Were Liars is an enticing and intriguing book about power and privilege and it is a must-read!