All the Beautiful Lies

Hardcover

Published by Faber & Faber.

ISBN:: 978-0-571-32717-1

(1 review)

On the eve of his college graduation, Harry is called home by his step-mother Alice, to their house on the Maine coast, following the unexpected death of his father.

But who really is Alice, his father's much younger second wife? In a brilliant split narrative, Peter Swanson teases out the stories and damage that lie in her past. And as her story entwines with Harry's in the present, things grow increasingly dark and threatening - will Harry be able to see any of it clearly through his own confused feelings?

6 editions

Stephanie Jane reviewed All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson

A good beach read

4 stars

My partner chose this novel from a second-hand bookstore and read it so swiftly and enthusiastically that, despite it not being my usual sort of read, I thought I should give it a try. To my surprise, I found All The Beautiful Lies to be very readable! Its exciting pace is aided by larger-than-normal print on each page which gives the impression of a real page-turner. I was intrigued by the characters and their relationships with each other which we get to witness over two timelines, one present-day and the other some twenty years earlier. I didn't actually like any of these people, but watching them circle each other is uncomfortably compelling.

Swanson beautifully evokes the Maine coastline on which All The Beautiful Lies is set so the natural environment becomes an important part of the foreboding atmosphere. I did wonder at a few of Harry's decision choices and there …

My partner chose this novel from a second-hand bookstore and read it so swiftly and enthusiastically that, despite it not being my usual sort of read, I thought I should give it a try. To my surprise, I found All The Beautiful Lies to be very readable! Its exciting pace is aided by larger-than-normal print on each page which gives the impression of a real page-turner. I was intrigued by the characters and their relationships with each other which we get to witness over two timelines, one present-day and the other some twenty years earlier. I didn't actually like any of these people, but watching them circle each other is uncomfortably compelling.

Swanson beautifully evokes the Maine coastline on which All The Beautiful Lies is set so the natural environment becomes an important part of the foreboding atmosphere. I did wonder at a few of Harry's decision choices and there were two moments where I really struggled to believe the plausibility of pivotal plot points, especially with the benefit of hindsight, but at the time of reading I could override my misgivings to keep following the story. The constant name-dropping of classic crime authors did get wearing too. Were readers supposed to favourably compare this book with one of Bill's 'Top Ten' lists? It came across to me as trying too hard! I think All The Beautiful Lies would be a good beach or garden read. It was complex enough to keep me interested, but not so much as to be taxing.