LIARS is a searing portrait of a marriage, from beginning to disastrous end, told in vignettes and devastating sentences. I could not put this down!! This is in conversation with books like WE ARE TOO MANY and FATES AND FURIES, so if you loved those, don't miss LIARS. Manguso's writing is outstanding; I will be going back to read VERY COLD PEOPLE as soon as possible!

In Liars, Sarah Manguso deftly captures, in heartbreaking detail, the slow decay of a dying marriage. This novel makes for uncomfortable reading, but I mean that as a positive. I was deeply emotionally engaged with Liars, Jane and John's flawed relationship unlocking painful memories of my own failed relationships.

I found it an incredibly realistic portrayal of a woman so deep in her own lies that it's only near the end that she gains clarity and can see how her husband has also lied... not just to her, but to friends and family.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Told from the POV of Jane, an aspiring writer, who meets, falls in love and eventually marries John, a filmmaker and aspiring artist. What follows is a shockingly painful and harrowingly truthful account of life, marriage and motherhood. It makes for an uncomfortable and anger-inducing read with an alternative writing style that took some effort to get into.

Sarah Manguso’s writing style is wonderfully oppressive, much like Jane’s marriage, and at times I had to take a break and step away from this book because of the rage I felt at being a woman. I loved reading a piece of work that doesn’t conscribe to the typical setting/chapter/title format of novels, instead it was a fluid work that piled on assault after assault. It felt like the pages of Jane’s diary and although it took a while to get into this, I can see why Manguso used this particular style.

She articulates fantastically the sacrifices that women and mothers make daily to help their family unit without any sort of recognition, and this cut me too close to the bone at times.

“I was in charge of everything, and in control of nothing.”

Overall, not my usual type of book but a poignant piece of writing nonetheless. I gave it 3 stars (purely from an enjoyment aspect).

Exquisitely disturbing in its relatability, Liars is the portrait of modern society that no one really wants to face. Jane’s story is equal parts compelling and suffocating, and Manguso’s writing is unlike anything I have ever come across; it reads more like a biography than a fiction (and reminded me strikingly of the film Marriage Story), which is perhaps why it is so haunting. Just superb.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for this privilege.

Manguso surely knows how to write female characters and transport the reader to the characters’ minds. This is a quick read that stays with you longer than your reading time thanks to Manguso’s craft and the themes.

You will hate John, it is guaranteed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this. Read this on a plane in a single sitting, absolutely tore through it. It is 100% a horror story, and the horror is heterosexual marriage. GOD, does this guy suck! He sucks even more than the guy in Soldier Sailor (who was also pretty trash). I really admired how the book condensed a 14 year relationship. It is a focused, propulsive, angry tale. FUCK THIS GUY. If the book is based on personal experience (very hard not to think this tbh) I hope he reads this and feels absolutely sick!!! LOSER!!!

‘I write it down again’

Liars is a fantastic explorative novel about how to be a woman in modern society.

Sarah Manguso gives a delectable, dark, and humourous account of marriage, motherhood and divorce.

Whilst the novel can feel a little repetitive at times, I believe it adds to its ‘charm’. It puts you in Jane’s shoes, showing how monotonous her life is with John in it - the never-ending cycle of narcissistic abuse.

I won’t say much more for fear of spoilers, but Liars is one of the first books I’ve read that succinctly puts how it feels to be inside a woman’s head down on paper.

It was a pleasure to read, and thank you NetGalley for giving me early access to this masterclass in womanhood.

First of all, fuck John. What an entitled, arrogant asshole who unfortunately reminds me far too much of several men I’ve met/been told about. This was a suffocating read, as I’m sure it was intended to be. While nothing dramatic actually happened, the writing was sharp, with a collection of snappy quotes that spoke to the struggle of womanhood and motherhood. I really enjoyed the continuous monologue style of writing, I felt like I was stuck with Jane in her life and struggling to find a way out. This was stifling and strong, a real breakthrough of a novel.

following the story of a woman as she loses herself during marriage.

the writing in this is so unique, quick and snappy it instantly draws you in. it captures and sets the scene for this kind of relationship so perfectly.

this a really powerful read that a lot of women will be able to relate to. as if feels like you are reading short diary extracts of a toxic marriage - as well as the aftermath of the marriage falling apart.

Very Cold People was one of my books of 2022. Written in spare, crisp prose, it’s a bleak novella about an abusive childhood, extraordinarily powerful. Liars is the equally bleak story of a dysfunctional marriage told from the perspective of the wife.
Jane and John meet in their thirties, their relationship growing out of a powerful physical attraction. He suggests they both apply for a year’s residency in Athens but while she is awarded the prize for writing he fails to win the art prize, joining her after a few months, unable to contain his jealousy of her success, flirting outrageously and sulking, setting a pattern for their future together. Neither had planned to have children, but a few years into their marriage Jane becomes pregnant with their son. Her successful writing career stalls in the face of childcaring, homemaking and hauling John out of various scrapes, her financial dependence forcing her to trail after him as he moves from one job to another. After fourteen years of telling herself she should be grateful for her happy family, the financial security John has somehow delivered and the resurrection of her career, she’s faced with the truth of her marriage’s dysfunction.
Manguso unfolds her fragmented narrative in stark, striking prose. We have only one side of the story and there are occasional hints that John may not be the only liar, not least from the title, but Jane’s lies appear to be to herself, convincing herself that her marriage is all that it should be. A tale of bad behaviour, manipulation, and misery, there’s a feeling of autofiction about it, borne out by a little internet research, although to what extent isn’t clear.