We Were Liars Summary, it is a 2014 psychological horror young-adult novel by E. Lockhart. The novel has received critical acclaim and won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction. It was also listed as an ALA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults for 2015.
We Were Liars Book focuses on the theme of consequences of one's mistakes. It is centered on the wealthy, seemingly perfect Sinclair family, who spend every summer sitting gathered on their private island. However, not every summer is the same—when something happens to Cadence during the summer of her fifteenth year, the four "Liars" (Cadence, Johnny, Gat and Mirren) re-emerge two years later to prompt Cadence to remember the incident.
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| We Were Liars Book Summary |
We Were Liars Summary
We Were Liars is a 2014 young-adult novel by E. Lockhart, a pen name of writer Emily Jenkins. The book tells the story of Cady (short for Cadence), who is nearly 18, as she recounts the story of her life. She is a member of the wealthy New England Sinclair family whose patriarch and matriarch, Harris and Tipper, still dominate the family as the story begins.
The Sinclair family is so wealthy that it owns an island called Beechwood with four houses—Clairmont, Cuddledown, Windemere, and Red Gate—that are shared by three sisters—Penny (Cady's mother), Carrie, and Bess. Much of the story takes place during summers spent on Beechwood Island with Cady's friends: Johnny, Mirren, and Gat. These four are "the Liars" of the book's title.
Cady has known Johnny, Mirren, and Gat since they were youngsters. Gat is South Asian and the son of Ed, who is the new boyfriend of Cady's aunt Carrie. With time, Gat and Cady fall in love. In the background of their lives, the aunts fight over who will inherit their parents’ property, which includes a very large and valuable house in Boston. Their fighting is made worse by the sudden death of Tipper.
During the summer of her fifteenth year, something bad happens to Cady. She is found on the beach unconscious, and she cannot remember how she got there. During the two years that follow, she is sick and needs lots of medical attention. Her head hurts constantly, and she has to take strong pain relievers to make the migraines go away.
She takes a trip to Europe with her father, but her illness continues. She can’t remember what happened to her during that fateful summer. She writes to her friends, the Liars, but none of them respond. Gat, despite his professed love for her, simply disappears from her life. Cady is puzzled and hurt.
When she’s 17, Cady finally feels well enough to return to Beechwood for the summer. Her mother is very controlling and tells her she has to eat dinner at Clairmont each evening. She also refuses to tell Cady what happened to her during the summer of her fifteenth year. The same is true of everyone else in the family.
When she asks what happened, the family claims that the doctors advised them that it would be better if she recalled herself what happened. With this large mystery in the air, Cady rejoins Johnny, Mirren, and Gat, who are camping out at Cuddledown and keeping apart from the adults. Cady and Gat reignite their love, and it is as if nothing ever happened to disturb it.
With time, Cady begins to remember the events of “summer fifteen,” as she calls it. First, she remembers that she became so angry with the aunts for arguing over the division of the family property that she inspired the Liars to burn down Clairmont, where Harris, the family patriarch, was living at the time.
She became disgusted with how Harris was manipulating his daughters, making them compete for his affection and his property. She became equally dismayed by the behavior of the aunts, who had come to seem petty and greedy in her eyes.
But, as it turns out, that is not the whole story. Cady also recalls that her good friends, all three of the other Liars, died in the blaze and that she was likely responsible. While they went to the basement and the upper stories of the house to pour gas and throw matches, she lit the fire on the first floor. However, she did it too soon, before her friends could escape the conflagration. They died in the blaze, and have re-appeared to her as ghosts.
This is the great tragedy that no one wants to tell Cady, and she finally comes to recall it herself. She is greatly saddened, but she derives good lessons from the events about how to lead one's life.
You may also like to read: Never Split the Difference Book Summary
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Questions about We Were Liars Plot
Is We Were Liars a love story?
We Were Liars is a romance, a mystery and a social commentary that explores the psychology of the wealthy and the privileged. The novel's strength is that it keeps the reader guessing as it goes deeper and deeper inside one girl's tormented family and her tragedy.
What is the trauma in We Were Liars?
Cadence, a character in the novel We Were Liars, has endured psychological trauma in her past life. The novel tells the story of Cadence Eastman who experiences memory problems while on a summer of fifteenth on the private island of Beechwood. Cadence's tragedy has an impact on how she goes about her daily existence.
Is We Were Liars a good book?
We Were Liars is a great book, but because of very mature themes, save it for children who have completed high school.
Who does Cadence fall in love with in We Were Liars?
Gat and Cadence fall in love. There are several kissing scenes throughout the novel, but they are never long and their relationship never goes beyond making out.
Is We Were Liars a horror?
it is psychological horror young-adult novel by E. Lockhart.
Why is it called We Were Liars?
Everyone had false motives. There was a lot of manipulation, which you can compare to lying. But mostly, I think the author just wanted to justify the foreshadowing. I think the author chose that name to foreshadow the fact that the group was a lie.
Do Gat and Cady end up together?
Cady and Gat fall in love over the course of the next few summers, and during the summer of their fifteenth year, they begin a romantic relationship.
What is the irony in We Were Liars?
The Sinclairs appear wealthy, and they certainly have the trappings of wealth, but the irony is that none of them are actually able to support themselves without family money. The wealth, and the power it supposedly affords them, is an illusion. It's the kids, the teenagers, the protagonists, who see through it all.
What is the main theme of We Were Liars?
Given the book's title, the pervasiveness of lies is likely its most important theme and the one most deeply woven into its language. Cadence regularly makes claims about the Sinclairs and the Liars using “to be” verbs.
What is the ending of We Were Liars?
In Part Five (“Truth”), finally, Cadence confronts the whole truth: she alone survived the fire. The other three Liars died. They have spent the last few weeks with Cadence as ghosts, waiting for her to remember and understand.
How did Cady end up in the water?
She, Johnny, Mirren, and Gat set fire to Clairmont—they burned down the castle of the king with the three beautiful daughters. Cady remembers this so suddenly that she falls over and plunges into the ocean and all the way to the bottom.
What did Gat write on his hands?
Gat has a taste for classic literature; one of the first books he mentions is Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness. He even writes the title on his hands: "on the left: Being and. On the right: Nothingness" (7.11). It's a classic philosophical text that makes a case for the existence of free will.
Who is the antagonist in We Were Liars?
When you have a character that pits the other characters against each other and delights in their fighting, it's safe to say he's the antagonist. And Harris antagonizes everybody.
Can a 13 year old watch pretty little liars?
The content seems inappropriate for anyone under 16. If you have younger fans, perhaps steer them toward the book series. It's more appropriate for a younger audience and spares us all of the visuals of the show.
What genre mystery is We Were Liars?
We Were Liars is a 2014 young adult mystery thriller novel by E. Lockhart. The story follows Cadence Eastman, a teenage girl who is part of a large, wealthy, and influential family, the Sinclairs.
