None of This Is True

Reading this book felt like reaching into a bag of potato chips - you start with one chip/chapter, and you try to eat/read a reasonable amount at a time, but invariably you finish the bag/book in one sitting. Suspense is still not my favorite genre, but when I get the rare urge to take the plunge, Lisa Jewell is my go-to author.

From the book's opening, the script for a Netflix trailer promoting an upcoming true crime documentary, we know that podcaster Alix Summer's encounter with her “birthday twin” at a local gastropub will end in tragedy. But it's a long way from an accidental meeting in the ladies room to three dead bodies. Lisa Jewell is skilled at gradually ratcheting up the tension and creepiness. It's right there in the title, but if none of this is true, are either Alex or Josie reliable narrators? Is it possible to feel empathy for someone who does monstrous things? Were there points along the road where the story could have gone a different way if there had been earlier intervention or fewer concessions made?

By the book's final page, you will be reasonably certain that you know the truth, but there will also be a seed of doubt. Because the truths we tell ourselves are often the biggest lies.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.