I struggled to start this review because it doesn’t feel like a novel. Imagine someone sharing their story at a therapy group for trauma survivors, or a legal deposition, or a grandmother telling her granddaughter the realities of heteronormative marriage in a patriarchal society. It’s not a cohesive narrative so much as a collection of events, impressions, and memories as she tries to figure out where she lost herself.

Jane shares memories of her grossly one-sided marriage to a narcissist and absent spouse/parent, stripping away conversation and world-building to talk about the frustrations, depression, and weariness from her relationship. There is a dissonance many partnered women feel in that they don’t want to believe their marriage is a bad one, there are too many sunk costs to leave and it is scary to think of starting over at 40, at 50, at 60. We have to pretend that they aren’t that stupid, or selfish, or incompetent, or insecure, or abusive, or deliberately harming us, deliberately sabotaging us, or cheating on us; we try to focus on the good interludes and forgive his mistakes. Sometimes there will be moments of clarity so shocking you can’t forget, though, and when you write the situations down without his bloviating and gaslighting you start to see the patterns.

firstly, sarah manguso will be paying for my medical bills and i’m not playing bc this was such an upsetting and thoroughly written novel that made me want to scream from beginning to end.

and the worst part - jane and john COULD BE ANYBODY. these are self inserts. this could be the life of a woman near me or a shitty man. and i have so much to say about this novel, so many feelings and i need to go on someone’s podcast and talk about this brilliant book. what a way to start a novel.

This was unlike anything I have ever read. I think it is perfect for mothers or those in long-term marriages. I imagine many will feel so seen and validated reading this story. I am neither of those, but I still understood and empathized with our main character. I think this will create a lot of needed conversation around motherhood, career-driven women, the sacrifices you make for a nuclear familiar, and why so many women are in marriages where they are unseen and underappreciated, and society has normalized it. So much to think about. I'm excited to hear more people read this!

I was absorbed in this book of betrayal. I gained empathy for the wife Jane as her husband John tears her down slowly. The whole book is directed from her thoughts and the absorbed abuse from her husband, including gas-lighting, demeaning, manipulating and cruelty. As Jane flourished in her career as a writer, her husband tore at her soul, weakening her into a depressive state. I wanted her to leave, but she gave all the reasons why she should stay, especially after she had a baby. Throughout the whole book the "child" did not have a name, as if the circumstance of their relationship was the sole purpose "Marriage makes liars out of us all".
When her mental health declined, she found herself at the realm of divorce, as he moved onto his next victim.
This is an amazing book! Some readers will be turned off by the simplistic style of writing, as the sentences are simple and informal as if it were a journal entry. The writing depicts Jane's daily routine as her life evolves from the depths of pain. It is hard to read when her life mirrors many relationships in society.
Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"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 joy and labor 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."

In the distinct minority of readers I found this book boring, repetitive and slogged through it. Liked neither Jane nor John, Why their child remained "the child" [never named, the only character in the book; some literary device I'm sure, but...}

I found Jane in self-denial through her years of misery--a self-inflicted pain, also inflicted on the reader! She lies to herself and to John; she is full of self-doubt. John lies to her, yadda yadda and ad infinitum, endless repetition. Hatelful.

And the cancer--did it come out of nowhere? Did i miss it [because I didn't care enough to spot its mention before the diagnosis was revealed in the story]?

Highly disappointed.

This took me longer to finish than I anticipated because of the physical stress I experienced reading about being reduced to a wife of a man who is HORRIBLE at gaslighting. Real horror comes from the monotony of the nuclear family. I thank Sarah Manguso and NetGalley for making me go about this reading experience with a clenched jaw and white knuckles.

Jane meets John and they live happily ever after... but definitely not realistically or financially, or emotionally or mentally, so basically not at all. I am so thankful to Hogarth Books, PRHAudio, Netgalley, and Sarah Manguso for granting me advanced digital and audio access to this heartbreaking saga before it hits shelves on July 23, 2024.

Jane is an esteemed writer who has published several books in her lifetime, and one day, she becomes John's wife, even though she swore to herself that she'd never reduce herself to that measly title. It's not long before she's slaving around in this new role, doing household chores, caring for her husband, and being expected to bear a child, all while her husband gives about 2% of the effort, care, and love to his spouse.

Honestly, I saw a lot of myself in Jane, for if I were to have ever married my toxic, mentally abusive ex-boyfriend, our scenario would have definitely mirrored John and Jane's. (Thankfully, I am happily married to my best friend...)

Liars is a horror story of a different breed. It's heartbreaking and realistic to many degrees, and I think every woman should read and experience this book for its true nature. Jane is a never-ending punching bag for her husband and societal standards, and as the reader, I yearned for her reprieve and happiness, yet there was no such happy ending.

Fast and furious. I consumed this in one sitting and felt swept along by all the challenges the protagonist faced. Such a real and cutting portrayal of one marriage and of motherhood.

A dark emotional raw look at a marriage a marriage that is so dark so difficult to even read about.Jane and John sadly should never of married.John is a self absorbed child,Jane an author a talented award winner is totally forced to give up her world her career.Watching this marriage unravel year by year was
depressing but due to the authors incredible writing I was unable to stop reading.#netgalley #randomhouse

Liars is the story of a marriage told in small bursts, like windows into the toxicity. We follow Jane, a writer, and John, an artist/“jack of all trades type”, as they meet, fall in love, get married, have a child, and coexist through a tumultuous relationship.

The entire book is short paragraphs of moments in their relationship, which was strange at first, but comes together quickly. We watch as John promises the world to Jane but rarely follows through. How his narcissism causes him to -systemically, it seems- get in the way of her career and opportunities when he feels she’s progressing past him. He slowly breaks her down with many cross-country moves and an overall lack of his presence on the day-to-day, as he tries and fails with several business ventures.

As Jane grows to see she can no longer rely on John, as their marriage slowly crumbles, the unconditional love of and from their child is the light keeping her alive.

Despite my initial confusion at the layout, this quickly became addictive. Watching Jane slowly peel back layers and layers of a narcissistic, manipulative shell until she got to the black center, realizing she’d been trapped. I love books like this that get down into the inner workings of a relationship; Jane’s slow descent into resentment and loathing as she came to understand the man she married, often interceded by those subtle moments of normalcy that can make one second guess themselves. A raw, unflinching look into mental health, motherhood, and toxic relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this ebook, available July 23, 2024.

*I received an advanced review copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily*

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 out of 5 stars

I tried to read this book when I was first approved for it. I did not like it. However, my NetGalley percentage is suffering, so I tried again. Crikey, I tore through it.

The story follows Jane, a writer, and her boyfriend-fiancé-husband, John, an artist. She sells books, he uses money for artistic endeavors and business trips. After they get married, all the red flags that were there before exacerbate into land mines.

John and Jane move coast to coast multiple times over the course of ten years, always at the behest of John due to cheaper art materials or because of his latest business venture. Then he tells Jane that he is holding up the family because she doesn't have a steady job, despite having had one before they moved the first time, then having secured one shortly before he said they were moving the second time.

She has also sold a few more books over the years. She gets pregnant and has a boy that she only refers to as "the child."

Despite not liking the beginning, and the writing being choppy, almost like reading diary entries, I was hooked after the first 10% or so of the book. I felt some of her pains in my heart like a harpy's claw had pierced my chest and was pulling the organ out.

It was a profound glimpse into a very toxic marriage, but even women in marriages as close to perfect as one can get will understand some of the things that Jane goes through. Her love for her child is a loud and bright love that sometimes scares her, sometimes saves her, always surprises her.

Sometimes she hates John and knows that he is gaslighting her and finding powerful ways of manipulating her and making her feel less than and convincing her that she is not good enough but that due to his magnanimity, he abides her out of selfless love.

God. I despised him with such ferocity my ears would ring sometimes while reading the book.

Worth the read because of my violent reaction to it.

Intensely amazing!! Jane, a writer, meets John, the aspiring artist, and the two quickly marry. Unexpectedly, after a decade of marriage, John wants a divorce.
The emotions you will experience with Jane throughout the novel are breathtaking. I felt every moment she experienced happiness, vulnerability, anger, and rage. Recommend!

Raw and well written story about the tyrany of an abusive relationship and the victim's reluctance to escape. Staying for the child, wanting to have a successful marriage, financial dependence, emotional vulnerability and depression, etc., etc.
Poignantly told with honesty.

It took a bit to get into this book. It felt disjointed to read. I felt like I was reading bits and pieces of someone’s journal. I was able to finish the book, but it took a while for it to start making sense to me.

There was no scene development and the characters it took so long to get a glimpse of who they were, that it wasn’t really even a picture that I could form in my minds eye. So I can’t really recall much of what I read honestly.

This book was dark and depressing. If you like reading about mediocre and abusive men, then this book is for you. I couldn't stand John, but I think that's the point the author was trying to make. I've never read from this author before, but I liked her prose. She definitely makes you feel something. My main problem was the time lapse. It's hard to tell how much time has passed in John and Jane's dysfunctional marriage. This is a good book, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. It made me never want to get married. I absolutely love the cover art. It's so striking and intense.

Liars by Sarah Manguso is about Jane a writer who meets a man named John Bridges, a filmaker and artist himself. They marry, move in together, and eventually start a family. Liars looks at motherhood, marriage, relationships, careers, responsibility, and ultimate identity. The plot was well crafted, and Manguso does wonders with language and showing the vulnerability of the characters, especially Jane. I loved the rawness of the book. I felt I was reading the writing of a established writer who has a distinctive voice. Manguso made me really hate John. I wanted to go through the page sometimes with anger. Well written, funny, heartbreaking book about love, marriage and identity. Four stars.

Intense, visceral, intimate, infuriating. The author's choice of using generic names John and Jane for the main characters feels like it says something.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Sometimes the book made me feel like it was trying to slowly suffocate me. Other times it felt like it was coming for my throat with a knife. In its less confrontational spaces it just made me hyperventilate. Maybe it's a mark of its goodness that I wanted better things to happen to its characters.

I really did not enjoy this book, and I DNF. The subject matter was just too depressing and not my cup of tea. I know there is a big market for this genre, but I am not in that group.

This is a novel that probably portraits many marriages. It is unfortunate, but true. This is a sad account of how lies lead to an unraveling of a relationship. Not fun reading, but informative.