We fell apart by E. Lockhart

Lockhart’s latest book We fell apart returns to a setting closely related to that of her famous We were liars but with a different cast of characters. Not having read her earlier books, I was completely comfortable with her advice that this is a stand-alone story to be understood on its own. There are some spoilers though for readers of the two Liars novels. Her fans are sure to enjoy her unique writing style that almost twists into poetry in places. And she is master at portraying the inner world of Matilda, the uncertain adventurer caught in this latest mystery.

Matilda is a lonely teenager, abandoned by her single mother ‘following her heart’ with her latest lover, rejected by her boyfriend Luca for being obsessive and needy, and dropped by friends who have decided she is creepy and nerdy. Then out of the blue comes an email from famous artist Kingsley Cello claiming to be her father and inviting her to meet him at his home on Hidden Beach. The strange thing is, he is not there when she turns up, and instead she meets three unusual boys, her ingenuous half-brother Meer, handsome flawed celebrity Brock, and the scowling unfriendly Tatum. Hidden Beach itself is an anomalous world, a superficially free lifestyle confined within rigid constraints that Matilda finds herself constantly challenging. At its heart there is a mystery she is determined to resolve.

There are lies, confusions, trauma, decay, and slowly, gradually, romance. The missing father is not going to fill the gap in Matilda’s life; she has to find her own inner strength, and take responsibility in her relationships and her decisions. It is a combination of coming-of-age and mystery novel delivered in the unique style which has made Lockhart a deservedly popular YA author.

Themes: Identity, Coming-of-age, Responsibility, Mystery, Lies.

Helen Eddy