Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
‘Never Lie’ by Freida McFadden is one of those books that just throws in a last twist to annoy the reader. You’ll go ‘WTF?’ at some point. And then your reception of the novel depends on whether you think ‘damn cool’ or ‘Ugh please, that’s just cheating the reader’. My reaction lies somewhere in between. Hence 3 stars on 5.
Written in first person, ‘Never Lie’ is narrated by Tricia, a young woman (God only knows what she does; if it was mentioned in the book, I’ve already forgotten), who sets out to check out a house for sale in the middle of nowhere with her handsome husband Ethan. Him, I do remember, a start-up founder who comes from money, lost his parents, and doesn’t like to talk about them (yeah, red flag). The couple get stuck in the house due to a snowstorm, with zero network, their agent doesn’t show up, and Tricia starts getting scared that someone else might be hiding in the house.
Still, the lurking presence of a possible intruder is only part of the puzzle in ‘Never Lie’. The real mystery deepens when Tricia stumbles upon a concealed room packed with tapes recorded by Dr. Adrienne Hale, a celebrated psychiatrist who disappeared years ago and was presumed murdered by her boyfriend. With time to kill and curiosity taking over, Tricia begins listening to the tapes in secret, wary of seeming nosy to her husband, soon uncovering unsettling truths about the woman behind the voice.
The tapes are interesting, especially the ones Dr. Hale recorded without her patients’ permission, and they sketch a clear picture of the woman behind the polished reputation. She’s far from likable and even further from ethical. But the unlikeable streak doesn’t end there: neither Tricia nor her unreliable husband Tristan inspire much confidence. Tricia’s relentless insistence on how wonderful her husband is only makes him seem increasingly questionable. Although he does seem like a regular rich bloke who isn’t put off by the idea of living in a murdered woman’s home for a crazy discount.
I will give points to the author for keeping ‘Never Lie’ compelling until the end, with a twist that most readers won’t see coming. Even though the hint lies very much in the title of the thriller. And the atmospheric setting of a snow-storm and a far off mansion of-course leans in to classic tropes of the horror and thriller genres. Besides, the structure isn’t limited to Tricia’s POV, it’s filled with transcripts of Dr. Hale’s recordings, and flashback chapters that include what really went down with the psychiatrist.
But also, it’s like reading a book about a woman saying how she is crazily in love with her 6-foot boyfriend, constantly gushing about how strong, handsome, loving he is. Then the two of them get trapped in an abandoned castle during a blizzard in the middle-of-nowhere, their car is punctured, they have no network, hungry wolves and monsters are circling the property, her boyfriend is injured, they are starving, and they struggle to keep themselves warm and alive. And just when you think they will finally die, she says – “his wings healed and he flew us out of the castle, because, oops, did I not say he was a dragon?!”
There is no dragon in this book. I am just saying that’s how random the twist is. It made me think of Sidney Sheldon’s “Tell Me Your Dreams”, which also is quite deceptive, but in a very satisfying ‘5 on 5 stars’ way. But then again, if you go by GoodReads ratings, ‘Never Lie’ has an overall 4 star rating (at least at the time of writing this review), versus a 3.9 rating for the Sheldon title.
Overall, this is an easy read, and if you’re looking for a quick thriller to binge-read and can tolerate a flaky narrator, go ahead, give this book a go.
Rating: 3 stars on 5. ‘Never Lie’ is also on Kindle Unlimited.
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