Rocky Debut
Tanen Jones’ debut novel The Better Liar introduces an intriguing premise: Can we ever really reinvent ourselves, or are we inevitably constrained by our inherited traits and upbringing? The book begins as Leslie Voigt concludes her search for her runaway sister when she finds the woman dead in an apartment in Los Vegas. Robin had snuck out over ten years prior, and her death by apparent drug overdose-while unsurprising to her older sister-is particularly inconvenient at that moment. Their mother died when they were children, and their father has also just passed away recently. His will specifies that both daughters must be physically present during its reading for either of them to collect their inheritance. The reader remains in the dark about why Leslie is so impatient about getting her share, but she is obviously desperate to get her hands on the money. When she encounters a young woman resembling Robin at a restaurant near her sister’s apartment, she sees a potential solution. Leslie tries to persuade the stranger to accompany her to Albuquerque so she can impersonate her sibling at the lawyer’s office. Mary is an actress and just happens to also be looking for some easy cash, so she agrees to collude with the fraud for an equal share. Leslie soon discovers, however, that she may have aligned herself with a dangerous and unstable person who has her own nefarious agenda in mind. Filled with outrageous coincidences and implausible events, The Better Liar stretches a reader’s credulity to the limit. The book is certainly exciting and has some interesting plot twists but suffers from uneven writing and some confusing diversions that occur throughout. Jones also ambitiously takes on the delicate subject of Postpartum Depression, despite admitting in the afterword that she has no direct experience with it. While experience is not always necessary for an author to appropriately address an issue, the portrayal here rings false and might even be potentially offensive by those who have suffered from this devastating illness. So, while the underlying ideas and objectives of The Better Liar are admirable, their execution unfortunately fall far short in this initial effort.
Thanks to the author, Ballantine Books/Random House and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
