How far would you go to protect your family? To protect your children? How many lies would you tell? Would you dare to admit the darkest truths - even to yourself?

Jeanne Cross is an ordinary suburban wife and mother with a seemingly "perfect" life when Ali Mather arrives on the scene, breaking all the rules and breaking hearts. Almost against her will, Jeanne is drawn to this powerfully seductive woman, a fascination that soon begins to infect Jeanne's husband as well as their teenage son. Though their friendship seems unlikely and even dangerous to their mutual acquaintances, Ali and Jeanne are connected by deep emotional needs, vulnerabilities, and long-held secrets that Ali has been privately recording in her diary.

The diary also holds the key to something darker. Though she can't prove it, Ali is convinced someone has been entering her house when she is not at home - and not with the usual intentions. What this burglar wants is nothing less than a piece of Ali's soul.

Secrets and lies dominate the lives of tightly wound school secretary Jeanne Cross; her abusive physician husband, Gavin; her deeply dysfunctional son, Jamie; and her promiscuous new best friend, Ali Mather. As their friendship grows, Jeanne learns of Ali's series of affairs, and Ali discovers a dark truth about the Cross family. Marie Caliendo's narration is a little too exuberant for the text, frequently placing inappropriate emphasis in odd places. Her character voices, especially those requiring high energy, do the job, but overall the reading detracts from Patry Francis's disturbing first novel by calling attention to itself. Obsession, violence, and murder are the stuff of everyday life in this grim look at the facade of the perfect family. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

 

Patry Francis's poetry and short stories have appeared in the Tampa Review, Colorado Review, Ontario Review, and The American Poetry Review, among other publications. She is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize and has twice been the recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant. The Liar's Diary is her first novel. Please visit the author's website at www.patryfrancis.com or her blog, Simply Wait.

The Liar's Diary by Patry Francis
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