The Liar

By: Ayelet Gundar-Goshen

Narrated by: Ajjaz Awad

This "brilliant" novel, an Elle Magazine Best Book of the Year about "lying and the lure of fame" (Joan Siber, National Book Critics Circle and PEN/Faulkner award-winning author), reveals how one mistake can have a thousand consequences.
Nofar is an average teenage girl -- so average, in fact, that she's almost invisible. Serving customers ice cream all summer long, she is desperate for some kind of escape.

One afternoon, a terrible lie slips from her tongue. And suddenly everyone wants to talk to her: the press, her schoolmates, and even the boy upstairs. He is the only one who knows the truth, and he is demanding a price for his silence.

Then Nofar meets Raymonde, an elderly immigrant whose best friend has just died. Raymonde keeps her friend alive the only way she knows how, by inhabiting her stories. But soon, Raymonde's lies take on a life of their own.

Written with propulsive energy, dark humor, and deep insight, The Liar reveals the far-reaching consequences of even our smallest choices, and explores the hidden corners of human nature to reveal the liar, and the truth-teller, in all of us.

Critic reviews

"Evocative... Moving...Gundar-Goshen writes sensitively of inner turmoil and loneliness."—Teddy Wayne, New York Times Book Review

"Riveting...Rich and delicious...I slipped into The Liar like falling into a velvet milkshake... While Gundar-Goshen paces it like a thriller, you read The Liar for its playfulness and for its wisdom about truth and lies and guilt."—Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times

"A poignant, thought-provoking tale of the #MeToo era."—People

"A brilliant fable about the lure of lying and the lure of fame. The writing is wonderful--I was impressed and delighted at every turn. I came out feeling how much I'd learned from it--its astute way of being cynical and kindly and farsighted all at once."—Joan Silber, National Book Critics Circle and PEN/Faulkner award-winning author of Improvement

"Such a good book that touched me so strongly and deeply...Wonderful."—Amos Oz

"Is it possible to marvel at/enjoy/admire every page of a novel? I swear to a Yes, in the case of the joy-read that is The Liar. It takes a rare skill to create characters who are all at once sympathetic and unforgivable--beautifully brought to life in writing that is both darkly funny and profound. What a talent! What a wonderful book."—Elinor Lipman, New England Book Award-winning author of Good Riddance and The Inn at Lake Devine

"Perceptive and exquisitely observed...Gundar-Goshen skillfully explores various dynamics of power...and portrays with great compassion and insight the humiliation, loneliness, and rage of society's outsiders."—Hannah Beckerman, The Guardian (UK)

"A moral mystery for the thinking reader...It makes an art of probing moral questions while sacrificing neither narrative propulsion nor complex storytelling."—Lucy Scholes, Financial Times

"A psychological page-turner, rich in setting, character, and wisdom...The author unfurls her ironic fable--simultaneously timeless and contemporary...with captivating authority and in lush prose."—Kirkus Reviews

"The Liar has the momentum of a psychological thriller...Gundar-Goshen carefully shades in the grey between the black and white, allowing our sympathies to slide around."—Claire Allfree, Daily Mail

"Slyly edgy... Gundar-Goshen explores the thin line between lying and story-telling... Both sardonic and touching, the novel raises questions of morality for which there are no easy answers. Its timely subject matter and intriguing, unpredictable plot are sure to prompt discussion among readers."—Booklist, (starred review)

"This tender and satisfying coming-of-age story leads readers to question how a split second can change lives."—Publishers Weekly

not my favorite

i found it hard to follow and a bit confusing. it seemed to be very repetitious

Learn pronunciation of ethnic names.

My listening to this wonderful book was a disappointment due to the reader’s lack of knowledge of the pronunciation of Hebrew names. I cringed at every name I heard.

Sensitive, clever beautifully written

Irrespective of your age, this poignant story is touching. You feel the protagonist’s embarrassments and clumsiness, the humanness of all the characters and their fragility and strength. Quick, engrossing and lovely.

Not like her first

Ok but Does not compare -
Characters are good but missing some pizzazz
What happened???
Still worth a listen

Keen psychological insights

Most of the characters were liars who got on with life with no obvious bad repercussions. I expected more of a dramatic ending in respect to the teenager who told the biggest and the most immoral of the lies. “Do not bear false witness of thy neighbor.” Boy, did she ever. But for her too nothing bad happens when she admits her lie that costs the falsely accused so much. Indeed, she benefits from the lying episode. Psychologically for each individual the lying all makes sense. Is the author commenting on (Israeli) society? I