The Book Of Lies - Softcover

Horlock, Mary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1443405191 ISBN 13: 9781443405195

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011

Synopsis

It’s a rainy December in 1985, and life on the tiny island ofGuernsey has just become a lot more difficult for fifteen-year-old bookworm Cat Rozier. She’s gone from model pupilto murderer, having just killed her best friend, the beautifuland popular Nicolette. But given Nic’s unforgivable betrayal oftheir friendship, can we blame her?

Twenty years earlier, Cat’s uncle, Charlie Rozier, also needsto make a confession. He believes that he was betrayed by hisbest friend during the Nazi occupation of the island, and nowhe wants the truth to come out. Through audio recordingsCharlie left behind before his death and letters written by Cat’sfather, Émile, we piece together Charlie’s clandestine wartimeadventures and the lies buried deep in the island and withinone family.

On a small island, you’d think there could be no secrets,but they are everywhere -- and they are inescapable. Captivating,moving and full of dark humour, The Book of Lies takes uson a lively journey with two unreliable narrators whose uniquevoices we will not easily forget.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Life on the tiny island of Guernsey has just become a whole lot harder for fifteen-year-old Cat Rozier. She’s gone from model pupil to murderer, but she swears it’s not her fault. Apparently it’s all the fault of history.

A new arrival at Cat’s high school in 1984, the beautiful and instantly popular Nicolette inexplicably takes Cat under her wing. The two become inseparable—going to parties together, checking out boys, and drinking whatever liquor they can shoplift. But a perceived betrayal sends them spinning apart, and Nic responds with cruel, over-the-top retribution.

Cat’s recently deceased father, Emile, dedicated his adult life to uncovering the truth about the Nazi occupation of Guernsey—from Churchill’s abandonment of the island to the stories of those who resisted—in hopes of repairing the reputation of his older brother, Charlie. Through Emile’s letters and Charlie’s words—recorded on tapes before his own death— a “confession” takes shape, revealing the secrets deeply woven into the fabric of the island . . . and into the Rozier family story.

About the Author

MARY HORLOCK was born in Australia but grew up on Guernsey in the Channel Islands, moving to England at the age of eighteen. She studied at Cambridge and went on to work as a curator at Tate Britain and Tate Liverpool. She is a former curator of the Turner Prize. Mary lives in London with her partner and their children and is currently writing a book on art and camouflage in the Second World War. Although she has written widely on contemporary art, this is her first novel.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1443405191
• ISBN 13: 9781443405195
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336