Book Review: The Liar’s Room by Simon Lelic

Simon Lelic’s books are always eminently readable, with fast and consistent pacing, deliciously unlikeable characters, and unusual plots and subplots. I must confess though, each time I finish one of his books I find myself wondering exactly why I enjoyed it and read it so quickly because the unusual plots often require significant stretching of my boundaries of credulity and the characters are often SO odious taken as a whole that they should send me running for the hills…

Still, I always thoroughly enjoy the read while it’s happening, and this one was no exception. Perhaps it’s because there’s always a takeaway lesson about the dangers of secrets – a theme that permeates his books – and the position that they will always come back to haunt you is one I firmly subscribe to. The writing is always engaging too, and that is vastly important when the characters are not very nice people. I don’t find myself cheering for them, per se; it’s more like I’m ineffably curious as to how they’ll get their comeuppance and when they’ll have to pay their pipers.

It is tough to write a review though, because the action was so bizarre and full of twists that it’s hard to talk about them without giving things away – and without making the story sound too beyond the pale to be believed. It WAS a stretch – like I said, for me, his stories usually are – but an enjoyable read for all the stretching. It’s like yoga, in book form – when you’re in the middle of it you just go with it; it’s only after you’re done that you realize what a strain it was at times…

Thanks to the Penguin First to Read program for my review copy.