Image: One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, Delacorte Press (Penguin Random House), 2017. All rights reserved. Cover design by ?. Photograph of book taken by me. Image used on this blog under the “Fair dealing for criticism or review” provision of the Commonwealth Copyright Act, 1968.
This was a lot better than I expected. I thought it would be a grim book (how do I get these ideas) but I actually really enjoyed it. It’s set in a U.S. high school. Five students enter detention. One of them dies. The remaining four students are under suspicion for his murder.
It’s really a modern version of a fairly classic murder mystery scenario, similar to an Agatha Christie country house murder. A deeply unpopular character dies: Simon, a student who runs a hurtful but accurate school gossip app. A number of people have motives: the four other students in the room, who stand to lose things they value thanks to an upcoming gossip post. The suspect list is limited: the people in the detention room. The suspects have to remain around each other: students at the same school.
Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the four student suspects. They start off with very defined, stereotypical high school identities: as the cover blurb says, “A Geek. A Jock. A Criminal. A Princess.” But as the novel progresses, these rigid identities shift, change, and dissolve.
This is a very accessible book, very easy to read. It’s simply written, but it’s competent and very involving. Once again, I became completely invested in the fates of the characters. It has moments that are funny and romantic and triumphant and sad. And now, perhaps I’m getting a little too lyrical about a page-turning YA thriller, but there you are. It’s easy and it’s good. Not mutually exclusive things.
Title: One of Us Is Lying
Author: Karen M. McManus
Cover design: ?
First published: Delacorte Press (Penguin Random House), 2017
Genre: mystery, suspense, YA
Representation: LGBTQIA+ (main & supporting characters), BIPOC (supporting character)
Suitability: years 8-12
Fyi: death, sexual references, anaphylaxis attack, coercive control, drug references, references to suicide attempts and suicide, depression, outing, homophobic incidents, bullying, alcoholism, mental illness
Themes: regret, secrets, potential, friendship, identity, relationships, resilience, found family, gossip, bullying, social media
Literary features: polyvocal narrative, plot twists, clues, red herrings
NSW syllabus: genre study (mystery); wide reading
If you like this, try: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie or A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE LIBRARY... 
Leave a comment