Lie With Me

Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant
Reviewed by Penistone Library Readers’ Group

Because of holidays only 8 members were able to review this book, 6 members really enjoyed it but 2 members did not enjoy it.
Comments from those who enjoyed it were as follows
Unputdownable! Paul did nothing wrong except be himself. Very cleverly written by use of past and present tense.
A slow start because Paul is so unlikable, he is a compulsive liar, shallow, a parasite on everyone, a thief, a lech and totally self-centred using everyone else for his own ends. The author builds the atmosphere brilliantly revealing Pauls character slowly and the reader’s dislike of him grows with almost every page. But the book is still unputdownable!!
The author builds the sense of place brilliantly with descriptions of the holiday villa and the Greek island, you can feel the heat and the dust with the seediness of the villa all enhanced by the demolishing of the buildings nearby with the constant barking of the dog---what a useful device to show the irritation and arguments of the characters.
A very unsettling book but Paul gets his “come-uppance” in the end but does he really deserve what happens to him?
One person commented that as Paul was running down the hill to get away from the villa and his disappointment, she could feel the ground slipping beneath his feet with the vegetation tearing his legs and then his dismay and frustration at the pirate boat.
Really enjoyed it, loved the way the author built the atmosphere gradually revealing the character of the family he is staying with and their motives for inviting him.
I enjoyed the book but my dislike of the characters made me take a break about page 200 to read something else then go back to it, and I was glad I did go back.
Most of us will read something else by this author.

The comments from those who did not enjoy the book were as follows
Felt there was no story so gave up just after page 100.
Couldn’t find anything about Paul to encourage me to read more.
Hated it, didn’t like the story or the characters.
This book gave our group an excellent discussion about the characters and the story, and about the book’s possible mimicking of similar real events some years ago.
Margaret Unsworth July 2016

This is an extraordinary psychological thriller. It took me very little time to get into it and, once in, I was hooked. It was so well done that I didn’t want to finish it.

I don’t think I have ever come across an author who is quite so skilled at developing characters that just seem completely ordinary, a rare quality in a book. The fact that none of the characters are particularly likeable did not affect my enjoyment of the story at all as they are very, very real. The situations Sabine creates are also completely recognisable and could happen to any of us, yet they are utterly compelling. For example, she has a knack of creating those “awkward moments” which are prevalent in real life conversations but which are difficult to translate into the written word - I think it requires an author with amazing imagination and creativity and this novel is full of them. She is also the master of the pregnant pause which oozes tension.

A large part of the storyline focuses on a holiday in rural Greece, an amazing snapshot of a foreign holiday that went horribly wrong but which all seemed very plausible as it was unfolding. It reminded me of a stereotypical family Christmas which has a superficial veneer of respectability but which is not quite what it seems – underneath the surface there are irritations just waiting to erupt at the first available opportunity. It was in fact, this particular part of the plot, very near the end of the novel, which prevented me from giving the book a 5-star rating. I thought the plausibility of the characters and their behavior was stretched slightly too far in some places, especially as, for me, the brilliance of the novel up until then had been its complete “believability”.

In summary, this is a clever novel which is full of suspense and which culminates in a chilling and very unexpected ending. It is the first of Sabine’s books that I have read, but if the others are half as good I will be reading some more.

Brilliant....couldn't put this book down.
Paul Morris is main character who is a womaniser, dried up author & compulsive liar. Gripping psychological thriller with a real twist in the end. highly recommend.

A gripping read, good to take on holiday. Would like a sequel to find how the reformed Paul changes his life. A book full of intrigue which plays out in an unexpected way. The characters were well drawn. Disliked them all... Would recommend.

An excellent, gripping psychological thriller. The main character is a 42 year old, womanising compulsive, lying and manipulative individual and thoroughly unlikeable. I had little liking for the other characters either but they were well observed and added to the story. It was an easy but compelling read with a great ending.

I found Lie With Me very easy to read and fairly enjoyable. It was interesting to have a novel narrated by such an arrogant, unlikeable womaniser, yet still able to bring a reader into his world in a believable way.

The characters were actually quite authentic, which explains why I had such a hate for Andrew and his smarmy, self-important ways. Despite how despicable Paul is, I did find small traces of empathy towards him, and was quite annoyed with the injustice of the ending. I would have liked a few more answers to my questions and although the ending would lead very nicely into a sequel, I don’t know if it’s the author’s intentions.

A novel that made me want to yell at Paul for his instincts, shout at Tina for ignoring the situation and punch Andrew in the face for being himself! Ultimately, one that kept me interested until the end, although there were a couple of plot points that made me cringe as they were a little too obvious.

I thought the setting was glorious and made me envious for a holiday in Greece, however I’d definitely need to avoid Durrant’s characters or I wouldn’t know where I’d end up!

I enjoyed this book more towards the end than I was at the beginning. The problem was Paul. His womanising ways and ability to lie so easily did not endear him to me at all.
By the end though, I was filled with a sense of injustice for him and felt like punching the book. I would kind of like to see a sequel, just because I don't like a world where justice isn't done, but I'm happy if the author was to leave it there.