The Better Liar, and the ugly truth about postpartum depression

I did not like this book at all, and the only thing that convinced me reading it has not been a complete waste of my time is the author's note in the end, which provides an insight into why Tanen Jones wrote the story. The agenda behind the twisty tale is noble - Jones is using the narrative as an emotive way to raise awareness about postpartum depression, the struggle new mothers go through and how little support is available to them, even if they overcome the stigma and seek help.

It's a powerful message and I completely agree this is an important issue that needs to be talked about more. Unfortunately, this does not change the fact that I got very little enjoyment out of The Better Liar. Picked up at the tail end of my month-long thriller/crime craze, the book seemed like a promising unreliable narrator tale along the lines of Gone Girl and We Were Liars, but the only aspect that lived up to my expectations was how messed up all the characters were.

From the very beginning all the way through to the end, everyone is horrible. I don't think we were supposed to identify with any of the narrating ladies, but even so, it was borderline off-putting how awful they all were. Just as I though - ah, this one is okay, she's clearly the person we should be rooting for, BOOM! They do something and I'm left shrugging my shoulders like, Are you for real lady?

I suppose there's a lesson to be learned there about there not always be a 'good guy' in life's conflicts, but at some point it just felt like Jones was piling on the psychopath vibes. That, combined with the thread of unease that runs through the entire story and the fact that very little happened in terms of actual plot made the book a veritable drag, to the point where I struggled to find motivation to return to it every time.

Return I did though, mainly out of morbid curiosity. After the first few chapters, it became glaringly obvious that everyone is somewhat unreliable, and I wanted to see exactly how messed up these women's past was. I must say, in that aspect at least I was not disappointed, and by the time the climax rolled around, I was kind of prepared for the author to throw anything at me.

In the grand scheme of things, the resolution of the story was relatively satisfying, in so much as it can be satisfying to watch one horrible person screw over another. But, as I said in the introduction, paired with the note from Tanen Jones, The Better Liar is not a horrendous book. I just won't go around recommending it to my friends.

2.5/5 stars