Liars

A Novel

By: Sarah Manguso

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

An “eviscerating” (The New York Times) novel about being a wife, a mother, and an artist, and how marriage makes liars of us all—from the author of Very Cold People and 300 Arguments

“Is divorce the new marriage plot? . . . [Liars] pulses with a rare kind of anger, making it a compulsive, unforgettable read. Love stories, it seems, are out. Divorce as liberation? Very much in.”—Vogue

“A tour de force . . . Liars makes an old story fresh.”—NPR

“A bracing story of a woman on the verge.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A nuclear family can destroy a woman artist. I’d always known that. But I’d never suspected how easily I’d fall into one anyway.

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.

Liars is a tour de force of wit and rage, telling the blistering story of a marriage as it burns to the ground, and of a woman rising inexorably from its ashes.

©2024 Sarah Manguso (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A furious, propulsive meditation on wifehood, motherhood and artistic ambition.”—NPR

“Makes stirring observations about marriage and identity.”—Time

“Painful and beautifully wrought. . . Manguso is a poet-novelist who knows brevity can whittle the sharpest knife.”—Vulture

Thankful for honesty/kindred spirits

Honest and real- not always a fun time. A very well written account of an experience as one human earnestly puts all their efforts into building a home and then falling in love over and over with their child and unfortunately sharing this experience with a careless and lying man. I related to it so incredibly much. What was utterly essential and made this book extra special to me was that the author loves watching the blossoming of her perfectly beautiful child and revels in sharing small details about their time together. I feel this way about my children and rarely see such dichotomous stories - because I feel all that tension in my reality. I’m thankful for this book. And I felt so validated/seen/not alone reading it. It’s a gift to be so honest and it’s true art. So … huge thanks and respect to the author💞

Searing portrayal of a marriage unraveling

What a ride. The narrative flows like a stream of consciousness confession with some of the best prose I’ve encountered in years. The story follows a woman, Jane, and the erosion of her marriage that crumbles by degrees. Your blood will boil. Narrated wonderfully.

Beautiful

This was one of the best books I’ve ever read/listened to. The writing is poetry in prose. I think it will start a much needed raw and thoughtful conversation about the state of modern marriage.

Truth Mirror

No one writes like Sarah Manguso—with such precision & honesty. This work might be a mirror or a cautionary tale, depending on the reader. Whatever the perspective, it is a story that will linger long after it ends.

Could not stop listening

A vital, crucial, and impeccable book about motherhood, marriage, and the devastation wrought by a covert, liberal, art-boy-man misogynist. What did we do to get “All Fours” and “Liars” in one summer?? There is a god. And she is a woman ready for a marriage apocalypse. Rave! Rave! Rave!

Beautiful but frustrating

The book is beautifully written. I thought the concept of Jane as an unreliable narrator would be developed more, or developed into something… Instead I only found a few gestures to it. But there is definitely a lot of interesting material, and maybe the book will grow on me after it’s sunken in more. It might be that it’s a modest book that isn’t served well by the hype of all the wild rave reviews.

Raw Truth

The way the author told this story was so powerful and compelling. So raw and matter of fact. Stating the actions of the characters like she did let the reader draw their own conclusions as to motive and consequences which made it that much more believable. I love how she revealed the complexity of the main character and the struggle of trying to maintain a sense of oneself separate from the identities of wife and mother.

The narrator was fantastic and did an excellent job of conveying the force behind the words.

Unusual…

This didn’t feel so much like a story as it did listening in on the authors therapy session. I felt for the character, some aspects were relatable, but listening to the never-ending complaint session was a little overwhelming.

A hard listen

Beautiful narrator. No happy ending. A rough story of a marriage. Sad. Angry. Real. Made me grateful for my own relationship. Excellent writing.

The love despite the dysfunction

This was very very relatable. And real. And triggering but also cathartic . Not just about the breakdown of a marriage that was dysfunctional from the start, but the loving and yearning for it to work in the giving and losing of oneself.