The Lying Game

by Ruth Ware

'To read [The Lying Game] is to have your nerves slowly but inexorably shredded as, over and again, the tension builds and then evaporates until the final, unexpected denouement' Metro

'A gripping, unpredictable narrative that shifts like sand underfoot, and a plot that turns like the tide.' ERIN KELLY bestselling author of HE SAID SHE SAID

'Thank goodness for Ruth Ware...[The Lying Game is] gripping enough to be devoured in a single sitting' Independent

Four friends. One promise. But someone isn't telling the truth. The twisting new mystery from bestselling phenomenon Ruth Ware.


The text message arrives in the small hours of the night. It’s just three words: I need you.
Isa drops everything, takes her baby daughter and heads straight to Salten. She spent the most significant days of her life at boarding school on the marshes there, days which still cast their shadow over her.

At school Isa and her three best friends used to play the Lying Game. They competed to convince people of the most outrageous stories. Now, after seventeen years of secrets, something terrible has been found on the beach. Something which will force Isa to confront her past, together with the three women she hasn't seen for years, but has never forgotten.

Theirs is no cosy reunion: Salten isn't a safe place for them, not after what they did. It’s time for the women to get their story straight…

• ISBN10: 1911215019
• ISBN13: 9781911215011
• Publish Date: 15 June 2017
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 8 April 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Vintage Publishing
• Imprint: Harvill Secker
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[maggiefan]

I was bored out of my mind. There were no interesting characters, the plot was almost nonexistent, and the dialogue and narration felt very repetitive.

[mrs_mander_reads]

I was definitely surprised by this book - I didn't like the other Ware novel I read, so my expectations were low. It ended up sparking some great discussion for book club.

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Review

I was surprised at myself for picking up The Lying Game as I did not care for In a Dark, Dark Wood, but I thought I would give Ruth Ware a second chance as I had been impressed with her way of creating suspense.  I found that to be true in The Lying Game as well.  She keeps your attention with just a twist of a word and kept me guessing the entire time.

While I prefered Ware's writing I did listen to part of this on audio read by Imogen Church. It did take me a while to get use to her tone but overall I found her to be a very engaging narrator.

The characters were all creepy in their own way and had a way of jumping back with importance to the story. However, Isa's baby Freya annoyed the heck out of me. It left a large part of the novel to discussing prams and breastfeeding that really didn't do anything to the overall story. I would have prefered that she was left out all together. My other issue was that I didn't feel that the author did a good enough job conveying why these three women would drop everything for a friend they hadn't seen in almost twenty years as Kate seemed like a pain in the butt.

The pacing, twist ending and even some of the characters in The Lying Game reminded me of Tana French's The Likeness. However, it was done in a way that it did not feel like a "been there done that" for this reader. The plot was still fresh enough that it kept me on my toes and I disregarded everything I had planned to do that day.

Overall, The Lying Game by Ruth Ware was not an edge-of-you-seat mystery but it kept you invested until the very end.

Reading Progress

Rating

This review was originally posted on First Impressions Reviews

[Katie King]

Pretty disappointing after her other books.

[Quirky Cat]

The Lying Game is Ruth Ware’s third novel, the other two being In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10. I personally think that her third novel is by far her strongest, showing clear improvement in writing style and depth of storytelling. Though I’ll admit I didn’t find the cover as pretty as The Woman in Cabin 10 (which was just absolutely stunning).
The Lying Game is a psychological thriller involving four women and their twisted and haunted past. The truth about what has occurred is obfuscated by years of lies, leaving even them uncertain of the truth. Their lives are forever changed following three simple words: I need you. If you like picking your way through a verbal puzzle, this book is for you.




Warnings first: There are a lot of somewhat subtle references to self-harming and eating disorders. Drug addiction and alcoholism are more openly discussed. Nothing is ever shown directly however. Also, for the animal lovers out there: worry not, the dog is fine (hopefully that’ll keep you from stressing the way I did!).
What I found myself enjoying in particular about the Lying Game was the shifting perspectives based on the truth coming out over the lies. The identity of victim versus aggressor changes rapidly with each new revelation, raising questions about the permanence of lies. This is one of my favorite things to discuss and debate, so seeing in portrayed in a book is always refreshing for me.
The lies peel off in layers in the Lying Game. Each time I felt I had finally made it to the center, I was quickly proven wrong. We’re left with a double exposure; the truth buried below the lies, but still ever so slightly visible. Enough to tell you that there’s something more to tell, a ghost of a story.
It’s probably worth noting that I haven’t yet read In a Dark, Dark Wood yet (it’s on the list!) but I can safely say that the writing has improved from the Woman in Cabin 10. The suspense felt so much more real, and the characters that much more human and imperfect. Each character had their own quirks and subtleties, really bringing out their virtues and vices for us to pick apart and theorize about.
One of my biggest complaints about the novel would be the loose ends; specifically Thea’s character. There was so much time spent building up about her health and issues, but nothing seemed to come of it. We’re told about her scars, her apparent eating disorder, her blatant alcoholism, but we never see any resolution to any of it. We’re left hoping that she seeks proper care for herself after everything that’s happened. Personally, I’m hoping she ends up taking care of Shadow and that helps her adjust.
I’ll be very curious to see where Ruth Ware goes next in her novels. I’m sure she’ll continue with the psychological thrillers (or at least I certainly hope she does!) but beyond that I can’t say. I suppose in the meantime I’ll get caught up and read her first book (finally).


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[kimbacaffeinate]

THE LYING GAME focuses on four friends; Kate, Fatima, Thea, and Isa. The four of them met at Salten, a second rate boarding school set near the cliffs of the English Channel when Isa was fifteen. It is where Kate and Fatima taught them the lying game. The game was complicated, at times outlandish and made this little group an outcasts. Think MEAN GIRLS and PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. All four were expelled mysteriously in their senior year. Ware does a delightful job of introducing us to these girls and their shenanigans before fast forwarding us seventeen years to the present,  when Kate texts all of them with a simple message, "I NEED YOU."

The story narrated through the voice of Isa, the follower of the group shares both past and present events.  She and the others drop everything and head to Saleten where the past comes back to bite them. This was such a clever tale about lies, secrets, betrayals, and truths. While I didn't love any of the characters, I did appreciate how real and identifiable the four girls were. Where Isa felt weak, Kate felt unreliable and  I enjoyed watching their behavior, picking through the clues and piecing together what occurred.

All of the girls have something to lose and Ware did a great job of building suspense by adding subtle pressure and stunning us with reveals, complications and twists. While I pieced together aspects and had a sense of why I was surprised by a clever turn of events.

THe LYING GAME has a slower pace than IN A DARK, DARK WOOD and THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10, however, I felt the details and characters were richer. Ruth Ware has moved to my auto buy list, particularly in audiobook format, since they are perfect listens.

Imogen Church has narrated all of Ware's novels and she does so brilliantly. She captures each character from personality to tone enhancing the story all while helping to build the suspenseful tension.  Like fine wine and savory dishes, Ware and Church make the perfect pairing.

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer