Wow, this book was written so well!
The imagery in Sometimes I Lie, by Alice Feeney, was amazingly good. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be in a coma. To hear things but not be ‘awake.’ To think things are happening, but they’re just a dream. Or are they? To not remember what happened to you or to wonder if what you are remembering is wrong. Did it really happen that way?
So, the book opens with these lines: “I’m Amber Reynolds. I’m in a coma. My husband doesn’t love me. Sometimes I lie.” It’s a great way to start because I found myself trying to figure out what all that meant. Is she in a coma because of her husband? Because of her lies? It’s just a really intriguing start.
I loved how you ‘see’ things through Amber’s ‘eyes.’ I mean, she’s in a coma and can’t see anything. But she can hear and is trying to let the people in the room know she’s really there. But they don’t know that. So as they keep talking, she’s trying to figure out what’s going on and what has happened to her. She’s trying to remember things, but it’s only coming back in pieces. Pieces she’s trying to put together like a puzzle. And when she does…wow. The twists are so twisty I did not see them coming!
And at the end, we’re left with: “I’m Amber Taylor Reynolds. I was in a coma. My sister died in a tragic accident. Sometimes I lie.” Just so good! This is one I’d actually like to go back and re-read. But my list is so terribly long already. Maybe one day!