This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, Park Row, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I finished this book two days ago and needed some time to relish in it. It was an intense, but very satisfying read.
I haven’t had much luck in the past with mystery stories and was on the verge of cutting them out completely from my reading list, but then I got an email from the publisher with a very intriguing synopsis of a new mystery/thriller/suspense story.
Well, colour me intrigued. I’m very curious by nature and thought I would give it a try.
One evening I had only a few minutes to spare before I had to make dinner, but this book burnt a hole into my side table and decided to start it. The next time I looked up I was 20 pages deep into the story and I couldn’t stop thinking about it until I had finished it.
It was everything I could ever want in a mystery story.
The characters, none of them are what they first appear to be. I was constantly asking myself how much I can trust them. What lies are hidden beneath the surface? What aren’t they saying?
The story is narrated from three separate character’s point of view, one of them being a first-person narrator.
Each character brings a different type of mood to the story, which intensifies the tension the author creates.
There are stark contrasts in personality traits that had me on the edge of my seat, wondering what really happened.
Every character had depth and raised the question of morality. Where are the lines and who crossed them?
The structure of the narration worked perfectly in this story and kept the suspense at its highest.
I was impressed with the author’s ability to have three separate characters carry the story from three different point of views so distinctly and powerfully.
I was also very curious about the author decision on how she represented relationships and what commentary she intended to share on them.
I have to admit I’m in a bit of a tough situation, because I really want to discuss this book in more detail. I want to talk about all the things I really enjoyed and maybe even flap my arms around enthusiastically, because I finally found a mystery story that was totally up my alley, but I can’t, or I would give something away.
I think it is important for this story to have reader enter it without any clear idea of what they are in store for, otherwise all those little twists and turns and surprises just won’t have the same effect on the reader.
Overall, I have to say that this was an amazing read. It was intense. It was powerful. It was satisfying. It had heart. It keeps the reader guessing and it had me hooked.
I loved it and would absolutely recommend it.
About the Author
Heather Gudenkauf is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many books, including The Weight of Silence and These Things Hidden. Heather graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages. She lives in Iowa with her husband, three children, and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer named Lolo. In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking, and running.
