"Welcome to the beautiful Sinclair family..." and so I am drawn in to the story of Cadence Sinclair Easton. Set largely at the beach, on a privately owned island - no less, this novel sneaked up on me much like a hot summer's day. Cadence's story is a mystery in ways that cannot be described without too many spoilers. Cadence's story is a love story - beautifully rendered first love with just the right amount of teenage angst, just a hint of forbidden. Cadence's story is a look at the destructive powers of wealth and power and greed. We witness a family fracture and hardly even realize it.

Think a wealthy family. Think of summers at the beach on a privately owned island. Think of 3 cousins who do everything together. Enter a fourth, who joins with them almost flawlessly, except for the color of his skin. Consider the parents who don't get along nearly as well. Imagine an accident so intense that the victim cannot even recall its circumstances.

I have loved e. Lockhart since I first read the story of Frankie Landau Banks - love that girl! She tickled me with Ruby Oliver. This book is altogether different again and certainly a testament to her talent as a writer. We Were Liars is a smart book for smart kids, and I can't wait to talk about it tomorrow with my AP Literature kids. We can have an interesting talk about how the author seamlessly weaves in fractured fairy tales. We can reflect on how well she creates a wealthy family that remains as distant on paper as they would seem to do in real life. Some of these kids dream of being writers, and from Lockhart they can learn much of the craft.