The Liars by Petronella McGovern

Publisher's Synopsis

A wife burning with resentment. A husband hiding the past. Their teenage daughter crusading for the truth. Who can we trust?

The close-knit community of Kinton Bay is shocked when fifteen-year-old Siena Britton makes a grisly discovery near a cave in the national park. Siena believes it's a skull from the town's violent colonial past and posts a video which hits the news headlines.

But her parents, Meri and Rollo, think the skull is related to their teenage parties in the Killing Cave back in the 1990s. And a school mate who went missing then.

None of them foresees the dangers that the discovery will create for their family. The dangers of past deceits, silences and lies that have never been resolved.

My Review of The Liars by Petronella McGovern

Petronella McGovern covers a number of big ticket social issues in The Liars in what is, effectively, a murder mystery in a small town setting. This is a novel that digs deeply into the psyche of a small town and uncovers an alarming history of disturbing secrets and crimes. All of it hidden by, as the title suggests, lies.

The complex mystery centres around the New South Wales coastal town of Kinton Bay and the lifelong residents Meri Britton and her 15 year old daughter Siena. Playing smaller but no less integral roles are husband Rollo and Siena’s twin brother, Taj. 

Siena is an aspiring journalist who focuses on environmental issues as well as indigenous rights. It’s this final passion that finds her partying with local teens at Killing Cave, a long-time destination that has deep cultural relevance but is frequently desecrated by the locals. Her aim is to highlight what goes on there to bring a dark 200 year old atrocity to light.

But while she’s there she inadvertently unearths evidence of more recent murders when she stumbles upon a human skull. Immediately posting the video she takes on Youtube and then notifying a number of media outlets, she puts a spotlight on Kinton Bay and many of the locals are not happy about the instant notoriety it brings.

The story is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of Meri, Siena, Rollo and Taj as well as from local police chief inspector Douglas Poole. Through each we are given a brief history of their experiences that include incidents of rape, sexual abuse, underage drinking and drug taking as well as bullying and intimidation. It’s a sordid history that throws up a veritable rogues gallery of potential suspects when it comes to who may be responsible for the aforementioned murder case, which actually turns out to be a series of murders.

Besides the murder investigation, which largely takes place in the background, The Liars reads more as a commentary on the deplorable treatment of girls and women by boys and men. The fact that the same treatment is handed out to women across two generations stands as a poignant reminder that, regardless of the lip service, nothing has changed.

For all of her naivete, 15 year old Siena is a remarkably strong character and is to be admired for her determination and bravery. She easily carries the story’s lead well.

The book does its job in calling out all of The Liars out there: those who have white-washed our colonial history, subtly altered news stories to suit their own agenda, victim-shamed sexual abuse victims and excused the behaviour of bullies and fraudsters. I found this to be a thought provoking story that touched on a wide variety of important issues.