Liar (novel)
Liar is a 2009 young adult thriller novel by Justine Larbalestier, published by Allen & Unwin. It is written in first person from the point of view of Micah Wilkins, who introduces herself to the reader as an unreliable narrator.
Summary
The protagonist of the novel, Micah Wilkins, is a seventeen-year-old biracial girl living in New York with her parents. When the novel opens, Micah's boyfriend Zachary, who's been missing, is found dead. The story is told in segments of past and present, moving between Micah's family history and the investigation into Zach's death unfolds.The concept of the story is that Micah is a compulsive liar. The novel is written as though Micah is writing the words, so she is aware of and refers to the audience in the text, to whom she is telling the story. In the opening she promises to tell the whole truth, but as the story continues she retracts or "corrects" statements she'd said before, claiming the new truth to be the real one.
Reception
Awards
- 2009 Carl Brandon Kindred Award
- 2009 WA Premier’s Literary Award, Young Adult Prize
- 2009 Fellowship of Australian Writers Christina Stead Award
- 2010 Davitt Award, Best Young Adult Novel, winner