One of Us is Lying, by Karen McManus

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One of Us is Lying, by Karen McManus

        One of Us is Lying is a seemingly stereotypical mystery novel, but is unique in the way that it acknowledges it's stereotypical nature and builds on it, growing the complexity of its characters and its plot in a way that is very much unique. Its premise is of a high school movie-like situation: four stock characters, the brain, the jock, the troublemaker, and the princess, are put into a murder investigation for the death of a character named Simon. Simon's legacy in the school is overwhelmingly negative, as he built and maintained a system designed to ruin everyone's lives by ousting their worst secrets. The four characters, Bronwyn, who comes from a family of Ivy League graduates and is essentially perfect academically, Nate, who is on probation for drug dealing and has an alcoholic dad, and a mom that left years ago, Addy, who is the "popular girl" and top of the social ladder, and Cooper, who is an extremely talented baseball star. These four characters are openly stated to be stereotypes, but the novel then grows them into characters that seem like opposites of stereotypes, and it is this that makes this novel so impressive. The story starts with all four characters framed and put into detention with Simon, when he dies of an allergic reaction after drinking a cup of water. Even the typical murder mystery trope is acknowledged and promptly left in the dust as the plot develops with many twists and turns - but staying believable. The all-important secrets each character has gives them much more depth and turns them into characters as real as any person.

        One of Us is Lying's most impressive achievement is its ability to take one of the most overused plots and characters, then apply superb writing and make the story genuinely a masterpiece. It keeps certain elements of its original genre but adds in a multitude of its own touches that truly make it memorable. 9/10

Also has a sequel: One of Us is Next

-Jonathan

Comments

  1. BonnieFebruary 6, 2022 at 12:37 PM

    I agree with you that One of Us is Lying is better than your average YA novel because it incorporates common stereotypes into a relatively unique plot. You did a nice job of summarizing some of the book without giving too much away about the rest. Nice review!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ezra AkreshFebruary 11, 2022 at 12:08 PM

    Great review! I have never read this book, but the character descriptions make it seem incredibly interesting. I wonder how Bronwyn's family may end up pressuring her. I will definitely checking this book out.
    - Ezra

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stepheny February 25, 2022 at 6:59 AM

    Yet another literary classic! One Of is Lying is a unique masterpiece of a novel, and your blog only serves to enhance that idea. I agree with your rating!

    ReplyDelete
  4. CollinsFebruary 28, 2022 at 9:35 AM

    Thanks for making me aware of this book, I had heard that the book was good but didn't know anything about it before now. This sounds like a really engaging book filled with interesting, complex characters and I think I should check it out now. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  5. LeorFebruary 28, 2022 at 11:42 AM

    Great book review. This sounds like a very interesting book. I think that you did a good job explaining the plot of the book without giving too much away about the book. I might check this out later thanks for making me aware of this book.

    ReplyDelete

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