Liars by Sarah Manguso

Thank you to Hogarth for the advanced copy of the book for review purposes. My thoughts are all my own.

Overview: Jane had ideas about her life. She was going to be a successful artist married to a successful artist. She would be a wife but subvert the subjugation that typically came with the title. She would do the same as a mother. But of course she couldn't. Her husband's jealousy and prioritizing of his own needs drown out her career opportunities. She was left with all the household chores and admin tasks. She was a caregiver alone even when married. Becoming the perfect wife was unfulfilling and still not enough to have the marriage she envisioned. Charting her entire relationship, we see Jane experience life from children to health scares to the COVID pandemic. Overall: 2.5

Characters: 2 Here's the thing, fiction and nonfiction are two different categories for a reason. Real life can make a fascinating story, but largely, it needs to be altered and remolded in order to make a captivating story. This book fails in being a transcription of real life without the depth or insight that makes a story compelling. Jane starts out as an artist with ideals. She falls in love with John, and they decide they'll have a different kind of marriage. But, quickly, he starts treating her like a mix of a housekeeper and a personal assistant. This isn't what she wants, but she sacrifices herself to meet his needs. She chooses to have a child with him. She stays with him as they move back and forth across the country at his every whim, making it impossible for her to maintain a teaching job or take career opportunities beyond writing her books. He hardly cares for her when she goes through cancer treatment, and he's incompetent at caring for their son. Still, Jane makes his life run and stays married to him and wants to be married to him. I'd call this unrealistic except it's a story I've seen play out over and over again. John is a cartoon villain of a character. He has zero redeeming value and only exists to belittle, demean, and bleed Jane dry while contributing nothing to the household. I would say he's a stereotypical upper middle class husband, and this is an instance of stereotypes deriving from a certain kind of truth. I want to call John an unrealistic character because there is nothing compelling about him; there is no reason Jane should stay with him. I cannot find a shred of love there. But Jane is a certain amount financially dependent and deeply entrenched in an idea of what she "should" do.

This book doesn't depict all marriages, but it is a fairly accurate reflection of a good number of them for a certain demographic of people. And because of that, they don't make very compelling characters. Jane doesn't leave John for a swirl of realistic factors and also the indescribable reason why people don't leave bad marriages every day. John is a horrible person because society allows him to be, encourages him to be. I've watched this kind of a dynamic happen, and if I'm going to read about it in a book, I want the writer to go beneath the surface. To give the husband some kind of dimension that allows me to understand why he was attractive in the first place. To get into the depths of the wife's feelings beyond being treated like less than a person makes me angry. None of these points are real revelations, and Manguso doesn't render these familiar characters in a new light or in other dimensions that offers something interesting. It's just a sad, everyday horror movie.

Plot: 2 Most of this book are mundane marital disputes and John treating Jane horribly and Jane just sucking it up. The book also violates another novel writing tenant that I now believe more firmly in. Books where characters have no agency and take no agency are harder to become invested in. Everything in this novel happens to Jane. One thing after another after another. It's a nonstop parade of doom and gloom, and it's recounted in a fashion where I just kept waiting for the story to begin. Even in a story with a protagonist who feels as restricted as Jane, her inner life could have some form of choice or resistance. But there's nothing but a plain, nearly emotionless recounting of events—barring sentences that amounted to "I was angry all the time". Without dialogue or scene, it never feels like the plot begins. It feels like a summary trying to prepare you for a story that never comes.

Writing: 2 It's the writing the truly did this book in. The entire novel is written in summary. There is no dialogue. There are no scenes. So much of the book is: (this is my summarization, not actual quotes from the book) "John said we had to move across the country for his job. I didn't want to move. We moved." There's almost no interiority despite being written in the first person, and like I said earlier, everything just happens to Jane. I don't really understand the point of a novel told entirely in summary, all telling, no showing. Especially in a narrative as familiar as this one. Manguso renders a very accurate portrait of a certain, common kind of marriage, but it makes for an extremely frustrating narrative. And the chosen style renders it entirely lifeless when there could've been a deep, thoughtful exploration of what it feels like to be in that situation. I felt as much like an outside observer reading this book as I do in situations I've witnessed in my real life. I never got inside Jane's head. Also, this is a random pet peeve, but there were a number of times that Jane announces that she "felt herself ovulate" or like felt the egg move inside her, and I had to double check that the book was actually written by a woman.

Clearly, this book is for someone that is not me. I was very hopeful based on the synopsis, but I was left feeling like I wanted to throw the book across the room for most of the reading experience.

Thank you @randomhouse #partner @hogarth and @netgalley for this advance reading copy of Liars by Sarah Manguso. Pub date: 7/23/24.

When Jane, an aspiring writer, meets filmmaker John Bridges, they both want the same things: to be in love, to live a successful, creative life, and to be happy. When they marry, Jane believes she has found everything she was looking for, including—a few years later—all the attendant joys and labors of motherhood. But it’s not long until Jane finds herself subsumed by John’s ambitions, whims, and ego; in short, she becomes a wife.

As Jane’s career flourishes, their marriage starts to falter. Throughout the upheavals of family life, Jane tries to hold it all together. That is, until John leaves her.

This novel, wow, not even sure how to say what I think. It is in part , the slow unraveling of a marriage. It is also part description of a person that is bipolar. Also partly about the people who gravitate towards a bipolar person.
The novel is told by the wife, she is bipolar, and at every change in the circumstances of her married life she excepts the new change even if it is not what she would like. She does this because “That is what women do “ and also because she questions her own choices. So she goes along to get along, although I would argue it is not a happy or content acceptance.
After many moves across the country and the birth of a child and many years raising the child. The couple divorces. The wife finds some kind of peace and it seems the husband ends up happy.
I liked this book even if I cannot articulate exactly why. It is about the slow deterioration of a marriage for sure. But also about how people change who they are in the process of being married. I recommend.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC.

LIARS by Sarah Manguso is an entertaining read with a searing voice. It was hard to buy in at times, because the protagonist was doing herself absolutely no favors, but ultimately a quick and thought provoking read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! LIARS is out now!

I DNFed this book even though it was relatively short and I was halfway through it. While I enjoy complex characters and moral dilemmas in the books I read I find it really hard to get through a novel when you're not rooting for a character or seeing a potential plot twist on the horizon.

This book was small but powerful. I really enjoyed it and finished it within 24 hours. I found myself highlighting so many passages as I was reading. It was a story about marriage, about motherhood, and about being a woman.

*Liars* by Sarah Manguso is a haunting, introspective exploration of memory, truth, and the complexities of self-deception. The novella blends a sparse, poetic writing style with a sharp, psychological narrative as it follows a protagonist navigating the blurred lines between what is real and what is fabricated. Manguso’s prose is beautiful and evocative, but the book's fragmented structure and ambiguous storyline can feel a bit disorienting. While it's thought-provoking and poignant, some readers might find it a bit too abstract or elusive. If you enjoy contemplative, literary works that challenge the boundaries of narrative, *Liars* is worth the read, but it may not be for those seeking a more straightforward plot.

I enjoyed reading this book for sure, even though there was a very clear divide between who was good and who was evil. I normally like things to be a bit more obscure, as I think that's a really fascinating theme to explore, but this was still a page turner. Also, that MMC can go kick rocks.

Holy cow. This book made me angry. In a good way though? This felt like it was written from experience (I know nothing about the author.). Was excellent and haunting at the same time.

Holding space for the FMC and the FMC only. The MMC deserves nothing but the worst.

This book infuriated me in every single way from the very first page, which is probably why I loved it so much. THE RAGE!!

(Thank you, Random House | Hogarth and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

Liars by Sarah Manguso dives deeply and very personally into her own marriage, the highs, lows, congratulatory milestones together, and the very personal and raw exploration of who is to blame for when things aren't so great as well as an honest look at who contributes what. The premise was interesting to me to dive into the story, but I quickly realized that this wasn't a story, but a grievance, and until the end, I understood why. I will not discount anything she went through. It's hard, unvarnished, real, and ugly. To make sense of it would drive anyone to a point of despair. What I didn't like was how one sided it felt. She was great, he was trash. She was superhuman and could do all the things. He couldn't do anything by himself. I think this was a way of her pulling back the pieces that he wounded so badly and it's her processing to heal, but she isn't there yet. To be fair, I also haven't been through this, so I cannot fathom even beginning to breakapart all the emotions and put them into any cohesive form of words. I think this would help those who may be going through something like this, have gone through it, to know that one can come out the otherside and still succeed and do well.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

Jane meets filmmaker John when she’s just starting out in her writing career, and the two fall in love. After they marry, Jane is convinced that she has found what she’s always wanted in a partner. But it isn’t long before Jane finds herself lost in the marriage, subsumed by John’s own ambitions and ego, and she finds that all she has to cling to is being a wife and mother. When her own career starts to take off, their marriage suffers - and then John leaves her.

This tightly written novel will get under readers' skin and they won't be able to shake it long after the book is finished. Reading this novel was like watching a car crash in slow motion (except instead of a car crash you’re watching the most claustrophobic and toxic marriage explode), and the further into the marriage the story got, the more claustrophobic readers will feel. Even when the actions of the characters veer into the downright perplexing, it's masterful how intentionally deceptive the storytelling is and how the book’s title plays into the fact that readers will never really know who is telling the truth - and who might be editing the details to make themselves look better. Compelling and upsetting. Perfect for fans of books where the narrator is unreliable.

not really for me, but i really appreciate having the chance to get an arc. I just could not get into the story as much as i thought i would.

Manguso does such a great job of showing you what a great marriage can look like--then have it blow up in your face--what do you do then? This is such a well crafted book that makes you really feel for the characters and their pain. Worth all the acclaim.

This book should come with a warning label: “Contents May Provoke Uncontrollable Female Rage.” Liars tells the story of Jane, an aspiring writer, and John, a filmmaker and gaslighter extraordinaire. Their relationship starts with Jane ignoring red flags galore, and it manages to go downhill from there: John’s ego and ambition (combined with laziness for a real treat) as well as entitlement, alcoholism, and manchild syndrome leave Jane sidelined, juggling a kid, a house, and her dwindling sense of self. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s not here to coddle you.

But here’s where it might lose some readers—it’s a lot. Manguso leans so heavily into the rage and resentment that the book can feel suffocating. There’s brilliance in the prose and some sharp insights about the ways ambition and parenthood can strain a partnership, but the tone stays relentlessly in the red zone. It’s as if the marriage itself is only seen through a lens of disillusionment, without room for nuance or, dare I say, hope. It’s a bold approach, but one that risks exhausting you instead of enlightening you. If you’re game for a visceral, no-holds-barred dissection of a marriage on the rocks, this might be your jam—just don’t expect much light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Liars by Sarah Manguso. It’s the story of a marriage, told from the wife’s point of view. She is a relatively successful writer, but the husband does not succeed. And he is abusive, but for some reason she stays. I DNF’d this book, just could not get into it. I didn’t like the characters or the writing.

I read this book a couple of months ago and I still think about it today.

It’s now one of only a few books that I really want to re-read so I can go back and annotate it more deeply, though I did tab some of my favorite writing and moments that I found relatable.

It would make for a great book club discussion, as it’s quite thought-provoking. Full of the female-rage vibes (that I’m loving lately), it has a lot to say about toxic relationships. It’s dark, blunt, and empowering.

Would definitely recommend if you like:
🔥Feminine rage
⚠️Toxic relationships
🧠Thought-provoking discussion
💪Dark yet empowering

Y'all know I love complicated marriage novels, so when this novel was being publicized with the tagline "marriage makes liars of us all," I immediately pre-ordered. Three months later, I'm finally sharing my thoughts, which *still* aren't fully formed. This novel is a very specific terrible (TERRIBLE) marriage. As I read, I couldn't tell if Manguso was trying to tell a story of a common marriage or not. The characters were not ones I could relate to. The writing was fantastic. I'm always drawn to reading women rage through writing, and Manguso rages. If this is marriage, why would anyone get or stay married?

If I have to read one more book about a woman struggling with having it all and being mad about not being happy about it, I just might lose it. This was a DNF for me

This book was infuriating to get through but in the best way! Was I angry the whole time reading? Yes. Did I want to throw the book at a wall? Yes. But did I love it? Also, yes. This book is perfect companion novel to Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante.