THE LIAR’S DIARY by Patry Francis
Wellington Leg:
Karen posted my review at Backspace.
THE LIAR’S DIARY
Nothing disturbs the fabric of small town life faster than an outsider, an interloper who ignores the community’s mores to flaunt their individuality. Ali Mather is a new music teacher at the local high school. Jeanne Cross, the novel’s narrator and protagonist, mistakes Ali for one of the students. Her youthful appearance and apparent indifference to the admirers in her wake set tongues wagging in the lunchroom.
Jeanne is put off but fascinated by the new arrival. Her life is defined by traditional boundaries; she’s married to Gavin, a handsome doctor, and is the mother of a teenage boy, Jamie. Over time Jeanne and Ali develop a relationship, not quite a friendship at first, due to Ali’s odd behavior and manipulative nature. Ali is having an affair with one of the teachers, breaking up a marriage in the process.
Gavin and Jamie are drawn to Ali, creating anxiety for Jeanne. Her marriage is on the rocks, but Jeanne is stoical until the man involved with Ali commits suicide; her friend is ambivalent about her responsibility, leaving Jeanne to wonder what sort of person Ali really is.
Patry Francis balances her narrative on Jeanne’s slow awakening to the realities of her life. Ali’s character is the catalyst for Jeanne, but this is Jeanne’s story as she finds her marriage to Gavin untenable. The scandal surrounding Ali shakes Jeanne to the core, exposing her to the harsh demands of Gavin and the truth about Jamie’s conflicted relationship with Ali.
The diary of the title belongs to Ali although in a subtle way it is the chronicle of Jeanne’s life. After Ali is murdered Jamie becomes the prime suspect. He is a confused boy obsessed with an older woman, a suspect who appears defenseless under interrogation.
The truth is more complex. THE LIAR’S DIARY delves into the fabric of Jeanne’s suburban ideal, into beauty and ugliness, the corrosive effect of secrets and lies. Jeanne finds courage not so much in a happy ending, but in the struggle to understand the life disintegrating around her.
A few years back a small tribe of writers found their way to Publishers Marketplace where Michael Cader had chopped down some trees to make a clearing in the forest. Patry Francis was one of the early arrivals; her success demonstrates that talent and grit are recognized. Even after the adults began arriving at PM the kids talked among themselves through blogs and emails. It was fun and kind of amazing as we found other people with similar dreams. Here’s looking at you, kid, across the ozone.