The Liar's Diary: A Novel
Written by Patry Francis
Narrated by Marie Caliendo
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
How far would you go to protect your family? To protect your children? How many lies would you tell? Would you dare to admit the darkest truths—even to yourself?
Jeanne Cross is an ordinary suburban wife and mother with a seemingly “perfect” life when Ali Mather arrives on the scene, breaking all the rules and breaking hearts. Almost against her will, Jeanne is drawn to this powerfully seductive woman, a fascination that soon begins to infect Jeanne’s husband as well as their teenage son. Though their friendship seems unlikely and even dangerous to their mutual acquaintances, Ali and Jeanne are connected by deep emotional needs, vulnerabilities, and long-held secrets that Ali has been privately recording in her diary.
The diary also holds the key to something darker. Though she can’t prove it, Ali is convinced someone has been entering her house when she is not at home—and not with the usual intentions. What this burglar wants is nothing less than a piece of Ali’s soul.
Patry Francis
Patry Francis was the author of All the Children Are Home, The Orphans of Race Point and The Liar’s Diary, as well as the blog “100 Days of Discipline for Writers.” Her short stories and poetry appeared in the Tampa Review, Antioch Review, Colorado Review, Ontario Review, and American Poetry Review, among other publications. She was a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize and twice the recipient of the Mass Cultural Council grant.
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Reviews for The Liar's Diary
61 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this book to the very end. The plot kept me guessing to the very end.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Giving a 2.5 star as I listened to this on audio last year and darn if I can remember 1 good thing about it so.. until I hear it again.. it didn't leave a lasting impression so I can only assume it wasn't that great.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This book started out promising, but half way through I just wanted it to end already.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Liar's Diary is a first class escapist read with great pschological suspense.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was wandering round Target, waiting for the pharmacy to fill my prescription, and had just reached the books’ section when I found it – bottom shelf, red and cream cover with an image of a woman in lacy apparel. I’d looked at several paperbacks already, and it wasn’t the picture that enticed me. But the title, The Liar’s Diary, was familiar, and underneath the “Bookmarked Breakout” sticker was a name I knew from Gather, Patry Francis. So I bought the book.Actually I’d been planning to buy The Liar’s Diary for a while. It’s been on my “when I see it” list ever since I heard it was coming out in paperback. Patry’s articles on Gather convinced me long ago that I would enjoy her writing, though “seductive psychological thrillers” aren’t usually my thing.The blurb on the back intrigued me. Suburban life falling apart, mutual vulnerabilities, long-held secrets, something darker… those are things I might expect to enjoy. Stunning, magnetic personalities less so.The book began gently, with a character I quickly related to – married, insecure, low self-esteem, struggling with the conflicting responsibilities of wife and mother. Her son has problems of his own, and she tries to help and support, never sure where the line between enabling and ennobling lies.The husband; is he as bad as the narrator paints, or are we seeing only through her eyes? The friend; is she really out of control or controlling; maybe just another flawed personality with hidden depths? The colleagues… the school… Patry paints relationships and gossip with a clear steady hand. I could hear the conversations and picture the scenes; felt I’d been there; felt like I knew exactly where she’d placed me.And by the time I reached the top of the roller coaster ride, midway through the book, I realized I’d spent all my time listening to conversation without noticing it was too late to get away.Actually, I might have put the book down then. I’d reached that point where I need to trust the writer; an advantage established writers have over newcomers, I suppose. I could see the written world falling apart ahead of me, and knew I didn’t want to watch dismay devolve into unmitigated disaster. But I’ve seen Patry’s writing on Gather, and I do trust her. In the darkest of places, she creates amazingly uplifting articles. So I knew her book wouldn’t leave me without hope, and it didn’t.The reader begins to guess at secrets as the story speeds up. I found myself hooked, unable to stop reading, and wishing I could protect the character from making those so natural mistakes. I thought I knew exactly where I was going till the sudden shock that I didn’t guess, and the puzzle I hadn’t even realized would need to be solved.The characters all stayed true to themselves, true to how I’d come to know them through reading. The dilemmas were resolved; sadness and pain leaving a path open to hope. And the clues all made sense. By the end I knew I’d read a really good book. Thanks Patry; I’ll look forward to your next one. And meanwhile, I’ll recommend The Liar’s Diary to anyone interested in well-developed suburban characters with dark secrets waiting to derail them.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I liked this one! It contained many twists and turns and held my interest until the end.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book provides the rare combination of an action-packed plot, coupled with richly developed characters. I started this book one evening and could not put it down until I'd finished at 3 AM. Jeanne is the perfect wife and mother on the surface, but as the layers are peeled back, we understand that denial and her inability to see or hear the truth about her marriage, her child and herself call her entire morality into serious question. Ali, the flamboyant, creative free spirit with very public fidelty issues seems the obvious target for cliche judgments, but may well be the truest, most honorable character in the book. The Liar's Diary is the kind of novel that you want to talk about long after reading the final page. I look forward to the next book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is an absolutely compelling, juicy read. The plot starts with a friendship tangled in lies and secrets, only to take a turn into murder. It will enthrall you, and have you second guessing everything until the end.A must read.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Average. I have to say I'm a little tired of finding yet another book middle-class emotional trauma, but then again, no one forced me to read this. Plot had a ton of holes but some semi-interesting twists. I hated the characters and found them unbelievable.