The Lies We Tell

by Himanjali Sankar

Seventeen-year-old Irfan Ahmed is handsome, easy-going and deeply in love with his girlfriend, Uma. However, when Uma dumps him for his best friend, Rishi, Irfan’s life begins to unravel.

Things haven’t been good at home ever since his sister left. And soon, they get worse. He stops playing cricket, gives up music, cuts himself off from all his friends and withdraws into a world where his only solace comes from writing emails to his sister.

But when a photograph of Uma begins to circulate among their classmates, everyone suspects it’s Irfan taking his revenge on his two erstwhile best friends. But is it? Is Irfan really going out of his mind or is there someone else out there playing games with him?

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Himanjali’s children’s and YA books include THE STUPENDOUS TIMETELLING SUPERDOG and TALKING OF MUSKAAN, which were shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award. MRS C REMEMBERS, her first novel for adults, won her the FICCI Publishing Award for Upcoming Author of the Year in 2018. Her YA novel, THE LIES WE TELL, was shortlisted for The Neev Book Award in 2020. She is secretly proud that her latest novel for adults, THE BURNINGS, has made family and friends worry about what lives inside her head.

Reviews

[Anushree Rastogi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhat cliche story line, but excellent writing style.

[Greeshma · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best YA books I've read this year. I am quietly blown away by the strength of her narrative. It reads like an indifferent account of a teen's angst over his lost girlfriend (as the author intends perhaps) but the fear, the need, the castings, hounds so vigorously.
Irfan, Rishi and Uma are childhood friends. Yet, things fall apart in the throes of their youth when Irfan and Uma start dating, and then broke up. Only for Uma to start dating Rishi. What follows is a personal account of hurt mired with the lingering trauma of terrorism.
Teenage depression is also rendered as neatly as possible. A neat little book that you can finish reading in one session. Just be careful to not be agape towards the end. FYI the ending might seem obvious but isn't really.
A heart wrenching read overall.

[Varsha Seshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.varshaseshan.com/the-lies...

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

New age fiction for the young adults. The narration is interesting. Though felt dark, reality of the day.

[Monisha Gupta · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story we might have read before too often... Not much to look forward too

[Anupama C K(b0rn_2_read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I did guess the big twist, it was an interesting read. I finished this in around 1-2 hours. It does capture the teenage emotions well

[Sandeep Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, simple story but the storytelling was really good.

[Vaedehi Rastogi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite predictable plot, can be read as a light read.

[Aashna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm particularly partial towards books that I own signed copies of, and Himanjali Sankar is lovely in more ways than one <3

[the.argumentative.bong · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It was just lies that we told each other and might continue to tell, all wrapped up in hurt and love. It was just that. It’s what we do. It’s the lies we tell”
...to each other. And the lies that we tell other people are nothing to the lies we tell ourselves. 

Seventeen-year-old Irfan Ahmed’s world becomes full of lies when his girlfriend, Uma dumps him for his best friend, Rishi. Irfan’s life, as well as his mind, begin to unravel.
He stops playing cricket, gives up music, cuts himself off from all his friends and withdraws into a world where his only solace comes from writing emails to his sister, who had left home six years back.
His mind conjures up situations that may or may not be steeped in reality. While we tell ourselves stories in order to live...Irfan’s stories take over his mind, and the line between real and make believe blurs, culminating in a shocking revelation.

This book delves into the convoluted realm of mental health of adolescents and parental awareness and empathy, or lack of them. Although it cannot be taken as an authentic literary source of mental illness and the symptoms thereof, it does bring to light some serious psychological issues including post traumatic stress disorder, depression and self-harm. Parents are required to be more vigilant, open and accepting of the fact that their child may not be well enough as far as his/ her mind is concerned.

My only discontent is with the ending, which I feel is a little abrupt. Ten more pages of an epilogue would have been quite a desirable finish to a beautiful story. 
3.75⭐