Half-truths & White Lies

by Jane Davis

When Tom Fellows proclaims that a Venn diagram is a far better way of illustrating modern family ties than a traditional tree, his young daughter Andrea has no idea that he is referring to their own situation.It is only when she loses both parents in a shocking car accident that she takes an interest in her own genealogy and begins to realize that her perfect upbringing was not all that it seemed...

Half-truths & White Lies is a beautifully crafted, thought-provoking novel that questions the influence of the people who are missing from our lives. It examines the thin line between love and friendship, looking at our complex emotional needs. It also explores how one woman's life is dictated by her desire for children, whilst another's is shaped by her decision not to have them.

Genres: Contemporary, Book Club, Fiction, German Literature

400 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2009

About the author

Hailed by The Bookseller as 'One to Watch', Jane Davis writes thought-provoking page-turners, exploring a diverse range of subjects, from pioneering female photographers to relatives seeking justice for the victims of a fictional disaster. Interested in how people behave under pressure, Jane introduces her characters when they're in highly volatile situations and then, in her words, throws them to the lions. Expect complex relationships, meaty moral dilemmas and a scattering of dark family secrets!

Her first novel, 'Half-Truths and White Lies', won a national award established by Transworld with the aim of finding the next Joanne Harris. Further recognition followed in 2016 with 'An Unknown Woman' being named Writing Magazine's Self-Published Book of the Year as well as being shortlisted in the IAN Awards. In 2019 'Smash all the Windows', won the inaugural Selfies Book Award. Her novel, 'At the Stroke of Nine O'Clock' was featured by The Lady Magazine as one of their favourite books set in the 1950s and was a Historical Novel Society Editor's Choice.

Jane lives in Surrey, in what was originally the ticket office for a Victorian pleasure garden, known locally as 'the gingerbread house'. Her house frequently crops up in her fiction. In fact, she burnt it to the ground in the opening chapter of 'An Unknown Woman'. Her latest release, 'Small Eden', is a fictionalized account of why one man chose to open a small-scale pleasure garden at a time when London's great pleasure gardens were facing bankruptcy.

When she isn't writing, you may spot Jane disappearing up the side of a mountain with a camera in hand.

Find out more about Jane at:
Website:jane-davis.co.uk
Get a FREEcopy of her time-slip, photography-themed eBook, I Stopped Time, when you signup to her mailing list at jane-davis.co.uk/newsletter

Reviews

[Liza Perrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come...

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite Jane Davis book so far, and it was her first. I always like the way she writes, and I seem to like her best when she's getting into the relationships between ordinary people who are believably flawed, stupid, careless, selfish, and all the rest of it. And yet with all their flaws they somehow manage to build a life by caring for one another. Which is how we human beings mostly proceed.

I particularly liked the beginning, Andrea's description of a childhood as a beloved only child. It grounded me so nicely into the story and made what came next a great deal more effective.

[Fluffychick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book looks at the bonds between friends and family and the influence of people in our lives and also those that are missing. It explores the idea of different truths and the lies people tell themselves as well as others.
Andrea Fellows relatively sheltered life is shattered when her mother and father are killed in a brutal road accident on their silver wedding anniversary. The apparent immediate demise into dementia of her maternal grandmother and the reactions of Aunty Faye and Uncle Pete, leave her questioning her own background.
The book shifts between the stories of Faye and Pete explaining the decisions they made, with Andrea's narration showing the unfolding story of her forgotten childhood.

I enjoyed this one and found it a quick and light read. It was fairly predictable, but not in a bad way. The characterisation was interesting but did leave me wanting more. Andrea was convincing in terms of grief and the need to clarify her family situation but beyond that seemed a bit lacking. I thought Faye had more potential and I didn't quite get Pete and his motivations. I didn't really buy into it being atonement for previous actions. I thought the most interesting character was Tom (Laura's "dad") but he was also the most elusive. As Tom dies in the first chapter, we never hear his voice and only see him through others eyes. He's probably the character that goes through the most changes and I wanted to know more about him. Laura (Andrea's "mum") suffered from the same problem and this was compounded by the adoration within Pete's narrative. Beyond being beautiful and the whole reason for the traumatic events, to me she was a completely self-centred and unsympathetic plot device.
Re-reading the above paragraph it sounds as if I hated the book, but I really didn't... if I'd gotten more from the characters I'd have rated it higher. I thought the whole set up was interesting and thought provoking

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half-truths and White Lies is a story which centers around the lives of Tom, Laura, Pete and Faye, their relationships, their love for one another, the mistakes they make and the secrets they keep. It is told through the eyes of three different people and jumps from the present to the 1970's where the story unravels and you learn about their lives and the decisions they made. It's a story about love, loss and forgiveness.

For the first few chapters the story is told by Andrea and I felt that the prose was some what shaky and didn't really flow, which made it difficult for me to get into. However, once the story moved onto Uncle Pete and Aunt Faye, her writing changed and the words seemed to flow better and did so for the rest of the book. It is sensitively written and I had a lot of empathy for the characters. The only question I had once I had finished the book was, would you really give away your own child to save the marriage of your friends? I'm not sure.

However, other than the book literally falling apart half way through, (not very good for a book that cost £7.99!), I really liked it. This is Jane's first novel and I will definitely be buying her second.

[Cleopatra Pullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrea drew a family tree for a school project during her schooldays and this story demonstrates how her father's idea for a Venn diagram to illustrate families works better.

The story is narrated by 3 separate characters, Andrea, her aunt Faye and her Godfather Pete and follows the aftermath of the death of Andrea's parents (Laura and Tom)

The characters are well formed something that is demonstrated by the fact that each narrator sees them differently but the parts add up to a whole.

Although the story is fairly obvious it is so well written that this doesn't matter.

Fantastic first novel.

[Kathy Shuker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novel I have read by this author and it was thoroughly enjoyable. It is a very human story, an engaging tale of family secrets and lies, told in turn from the viewpoints of all the main protagonists. The ending came as no great surprise but this story is not so much a mystery as a study of the characters and the life-changing decisions they have to make. It was beautifully and sympathetically written.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got given this book recently and thought it was an interesting look at the structures within families, and the surprises lurking below the surface....
I found the writing expressive, it actually caused me to wince in one place (& no I'm not telling you where), and laugh out loud in another. Loved it!

[Pat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to dispose of this at railway station whilst in transit, could not read another word. Perhaps jetlag, more likely just not worth reading, what was I thinking when it was on sale in Borders for $10

[Wendy]

very enjoyable I will look out for more by Jane Davis

[Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down. I love the structure, the characters are well formed and an interesting story.

[Patrick Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, focused on tHe relationships between characters and good enough to keep my interest. Not a plot tHat will stick in my mind but worth the effort of reading.

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written novel from a new writer which I found a compelling read. It is about love, loss and redemption and very well worth reading. I recommend it,

[Lils · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un livre sympathique mais sans surprise :-) Pas mal écrit malgré tout.

[Rosalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 & 1/2 stars. This is a well-crafted but complicated novel as none of the characters knows the whole story until it is all pieced together near the end. The pieces of the puzzle are slowly revealed through the lives and thoughts of the main characters as they age and grow up and resume their connections, however as the title suggests the reader is given small snippets of the truth from each of the main characters and sometimes a few white lies.
The story centres around Andrea who is the child of Laura and Tom but after their 25th wedding anniversary everything changes and Andrea's life becomes a lot more complicated. Fortunately for Andrea, her uncle Pete who is her godfather is there for her to help.
There are some important ideas thrown into the mix but at the root of it all is unconditional love. There is also the issue of adoption and the choices of finding birth parents, it questions what it is to be a parent, and a lot more. It might be a bit far-fetched, with a happy coincidental ending but is an enjoyable read.

[Bookworm Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read and reasonably good story. However, although I read quickly, I just felt there was not the same amazing uplift that I normally get after having finished a book! Maybe it is me, yet the book I have now chosen to read called Restless by William Boyd has already had a positive impact on me. I am not criticising the author, bearing-in-mind I could not write a book. Would I recommend - yes!

[Moxie Cosmos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Good But Not Her Best

Jane Davis has the skill to wrench your heart out and put it back again. I have now read all of her novels but one and I see themes repeated. That’s okay, as her plots are about gloriously good people you would want to know. There’s enough history inserted to make the actions taken appropriate and believable, but the needs and responses are timeless and universal. This one makes me wonder about families I have known.

[Janine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm behind on my reviews and I can't remember much of what happens in this book. Guess that says it all right? Oh wait, no it's coming back to me. Family secrets! A twist you already worked out. Tear triggers.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started off mediocre but once into it found the book inciteful and sad but definitely worth the read. Shows how people have the capacity to do better if they want to and use the transforming power of reflection and love. Hope Jane writes more

[caitlyn - kai 🍓🤍 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way this book was written and the format. Every storyline that intersected flowed and added so much insight into the plot. It was well-paced and an easy read.

[Rosemary Kind · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book with many twists and turns as the story is unravelled. Well worth reading.

[Chirag · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a complete mess of lies and family drama and portrays the extent to which some people can get ti use you for their own benefit

[Kathy Gradidge · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2

[Dawn Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought a hard copy of this and as a result saved it up for a holiday, when I wouldn't need to be reading in the dark. In the meantime I bought and read all of the other novels written by Jane Davis, all of which I've given 5 stars to. This is the first of her novels and has all of what appear to be her trademark characteristics; a number of characters, with the story moving between their first person viewpoints; all the characters have proper personalities and are convincingly rounded, a carefully plotted and slightly tangled (necessary to the plot and not so complicated it is impossible to follow) twist or three, and beautifully gentle, descriptive prose. Initially I was going to give this 4 stars, because it's not stuck with me for as long after completion as the later novels have, which I assume is due to the quality of her storytelling having improved to a point close to perfection. I read a couple of other reviews on Amazon before starting mine and - Spoiler alert here - yes, there are a few coincidences, but they are fully plausible; in fact, I think most people know, or know of someone who's been informally adopted, (it certainly happened here in Devon around this period) and I also know a number of families with friendships this close. However, I really enjoyed this having paid full bookshop price for my copy - money well spent in my opinion, so it gets the full 5 stars, and here is why -it's well written (no grammatical or spelling errors noticeable in my copy) and I am looking forward to loaning my copy (loaning only mind) to a friend.

[Tanja Grave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was passiert, wenn deine geliebten und wunderbaren Eltern bei einem Unfall sterben und du durch ein Foto plötzlich herausfindest, dass sie dir jede Menge verschwiegen haben.
Das Buch beschreibt aus der Sicht von 3 Personen eine Reise zur Wahrheit und den Gründen dahinter. Teils schockierend, teils fröhlich und mit Happy End zeichnet das Buch ein buntes Bild einer (un)perfekten, liebenswerten Familie.

[Kat Colorado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eine verworrene Familiengeschichte, bei der am Schluss der Stammbaum total durcheinander gewirbelt ist und alles anders ist, als es zu Beginn schien. Mir hat der Stil gefallen, auch wenn ich nicht immer glauben konnte, dass sich Geheimnisse so lange wahren lassen.

[Patricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't actually finish this book. The writing was awkward, and there were errors in spelling/grammar. Not all that interesting.