Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

LIE by Caroline Bock (St. Martins Griffin 2011)has at its heart, a hate crime and the lies it takes to try to cover it all up. Skylar is still reeling from the loss of her mother. Her father works double shifts, in part to control his own grief. When the new student at school shows Skylar some attention, she falls into a relationship so dependent that Skylar is able to rationalize Jimmie's odd behavior. One night, Jimmie and a friend beat two brothers, putting one in the hospital barely alive. Jimmie's friends all agree to lie to cover up his part in this crime. The mantra is "everybody knows, nobody's talking." Skylar is torn: she loves Jimmie, but she did witness the brutality of his attack. She has difficulty reconciling the two images. Multiple narrators keep this story moving along quickly. <556>