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‘As five we were mighty, the points on a star...once we five joined, it was never boys against girls...two of our triangles cut themselves off and ran away together, and we were never whole again. Never.’ Years ago, they were the best of friends. But as time passed, they grew apart, became adults with families of their own, and began to forget about the past – and the terrible lies they shared. But now Gordon, the youngest and wildest of the five, has died and the others are thrown together for the first time in years. Could their long-ago lie be the reason for their troubles today? Is it more dangerous to admit to what they’d done or is it the strain of keeping the secret that is beginning to wear down on their souls. Dark, provocative and beautifully written, Laura Lippman’s genre defying novel will appeal to fans of Lionel Shriver, Megan Abbott and Kate Atkinson.
The sudden death of a childhood friend forces a group of estranged adults to confront a long-buried secret that threatens to dismantle their present lives. As the remaining four members of the group reunite, they must navigate the shifting dynamics of their shared history and the psychological toll of their collective deception. The narrative oscillates between the past, where the original transgression occurred, and the present, where the consequences of that act begin to surface. Each character struggles with the internal pressure of maintaining a lie that has defined their adult identities, while external circumstances force them to evaluate whether the truth is more destructive than the silence.
This novel is characterized by its focus on the slow-burning tension that arises when past secrets collide with current domestic stability. The narrative structure suggests a deliberate pacing that prioritizes character development and the gradual unraveling of interpersonal relationships over high-octane action. The work appears to lean into the psychological thriller genre, utilizing the weight of shared history to create a sense of inevitable dread. Readers likely find the exploration of how childhood choices ripple into adulthood to be the most compelling aspect of the story, as the author avoids easy resolutions in favor of complex moral inquiry.
Page Count:
400
Publication Date:
2011-01-01
Publisher:
Harpercollins Uk
ISBN-10:
0007480008
ISBN-13:
9780007480005
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