What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

I don't have time to blog tonight, but I'm doing it anyway. I finished "What I Saw and How I Lied" today and it was like kiddie Noir. I loved it. Something about this book brought to mind the flavor of Lauren Bacall's autobiography, it was that authentic. This book is rich, beautiful, and unguarded. I was also reminded of Sidney Poitier's description of Florida as well, how he described seeing it as a young man in his autobiography. The story is gripping, deep, and gritty. There were some obvious modern sensibilities and prospectives in it, but not so much that I felt that I was thrown out of the world of the book. I found the heroine, Evie, to be engaging though narrator, though the story was definitely told solely through her eyes it was still possible to see other perspective with a few hints from the author.

In the end there was so much in this story about choices: about how and why me make them, their repercussions, and how we live with the consequences. It was also about familiar relationships and identification. I did not want to put it down until I had turned the last page, I would definitely recommend it.