All the Beautiful lies by peter Swanson
Plot:
Harry Ackerson has always considered his stepmother Alice to be sexy and beautiful, in an "otherworldly" way. She has always been kind and attentive, if a little aloof in the last few years.
Days before his college graduation, Alice calls with shocking news. His father is dead and the police think it’s suicide. Devastated, Harry returns to his father’s home in Maine. There, he and Alice will help each other pick up of the pieces of their lives and uncover what happened to his father.
Shortly after he arrives, Harry meets a mysterious young woman named Grace McGowan. Though she claims to be new to the area, Harry begins to suspect that Grace may not be a complete stranger to his family. But she isn’t the only attractive woman taking an interest in Harry. The sensual Alice is also growing closer, coming on to him in an enticing, clearly sexual way.
Mesmerized by these two women, Harry finds himself falling deeper under their spell. Yet the closer he gets to them, the more isolated he feels, disoriented by a growing fear that both women are hiding dangerous—even deadly—secrets . . . and that neither one is telling the truth.
If you're a book lover who is sensitive to uncomfortable sexual content and flashes of violence and death, this won't be the story for you. However, if you're looking for a bold, character driven story that deals with some very real and very timely themes, you won't want to miss All The Beautiful Lies. I found myself thinking about this book constantly while reading it and even after finishing the story.
Conclusion:
The most generous conclusion I can draw about the content presented in ALL THE BEAUTIFUL LIES is that the author hoped to spark a conversation surrounding a cycle of abuse. The crux of this story is this: a woman begins an affair with her stepson. As the story progresses, readers discover she was involved in a similar affair as a young person, too, and are drawn into this repulsive web of taboo relationships. These relationships are not technically illegal, but they’re most certainly uncomfortable and taboo - and the power dynamics between adult and young person presented within them adds a whole other layer of wrong for readers to unpack. The cycle of manipulation and grooming portrayed here was enough to turn my stomach—the author was certainly effective at portraying how abuse can beget abuse. And that idea - the idea of examining a cycle of abuse - is not in and of itself a bad thing. When portrayed through the lens of commentary on a terrible and very prevalent occurrence, this kind of examination could indeed be quite effective in sparking an important conversation among readers.
Update: Since people can't take a joke. It's not the relationships that are the problem, it's the pace. After 60% barely anything has happened, I'm bored and not at all intrigued. His other books were simply better. The relationships seem to be there just for the shock value and I'm tired of that as much as the alcoholic unreliable wife. I listened to it as an audiobook, so it might have not helped but after raving about his work I'm extra salty about it!
Update: Since people can't take a joke. It's not the relationships that are the problem, it's the pace. After 60% barely anything has happened, I'm bored and not at all intrigued. His other books were simply better. The relationships seem to be there just for the shock value and I'm tired of that as much as the alcoholic unreliable wife. I listened to it as an audiobook, so it might have not helped but after raving about his work I'm extra salty about it!
Until next time,
.
The Romance Reader❤
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