👰🏼‍♀️🤵🏽‍♂️Liars🤵🏽‍♂️👰🏼‍♀️
By Sarah Manguso

Pages: 272
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Goal 2024: 92/100

Thank you Random House Publishing for this wonderful advanced reader copy.

I’ll be honest when I requested this book, I thought I was requesting a different author. 😂 I tend to remember books by covers and this cover reminded me of another Authors book so I assumed there was a trend and I was grabbing the same author.

My mistake lead me to the beautiful work of Manguso! This was like reading 200+ pages of poetry of an angry and depressed wife who is stuck being married to an abusive narcissistic male figure.

This entire book, which I had assumed was a horror, I was waiting for the knife to fall. I can’t say that it did in the way I expected but this poor women’s marriage was a horror in itself. I am honestly unsure why she married him if she saw part of who he was before the marriage but I guess we all know someone that we have probably asked ourselves the same thing.

Liars was a great representation of a successful woman giving up her dreams to cater to a self serving man who fails in supporting his lifestyle for not only himself but his family as well. Not only does it represent that but also shows representation in how we often believe we will change the world’s expectations of a past typical male/female marriage only to be left stuck living in the past.

I warn you now that Jane’s marriage will leave you hating men and the idea of marriage but if you can look past that, you will be left with the inner work of a masterpiece by the time you put this book down.

Jane is an aspiring writer and when she meets John, an artist, they hit it off instantly.

They get married, they buy a house, they have a baby boy.

John starts up a company, it fails, they move across country. John starts up another company, it fails, they move again. Over and Over. They move 5 times over the course of 7 years. Meanwhile, her writing is always on the back burner, simmering, just out of reach.

"John didn't just need to win the fight; he needed me to agree that it was my responsibility never to say anything that might make him feel as if he'd ever done anything wrong. Feeling that he'd done something wrong really threatened his sense of entitlement."

All the while Jane is left to do everything. Every domestic task. Everything for their son. All the logistics of keeping a family and household running on course. Correcting things her absentminded husband forgets time and time again.

"I was in charge of everything but in control of nothing."

When she finally gets frustrated enough to snap at him about helping out more, he always responds the same way. You're crazy.

"Calling a woman crazy is a man's last resort when he's failed to control her."

This is a story that has been written many times before yet I never grow tired of observing a disintegrating marriage. That probably makes me sound like quite the voyeur but in actuality it reminds me that the feelings I have had in the past are valid. Sometimes in the midst of an abusive relationship you can't see things with any clarity. Hence the title, Liars, that of the abusive and unfaithful and then those lies of the people unwilling to look and see the truth. The lies we tell ourselves to keep ourselves held together and sane. If I can just pretend I'm happy and everything is perfectly perfect it will eventually become true, right?

Manguso's astute observations on a marriage in decline were sharp as a razors edge. I could not look away from the page. My heart broke many times over but I am still so glad to have read this. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for my complimentary copy.

The story of the dissolution of a marriage and how sometimes woman give up their dreams to keep their marriage alive and survive motherhood. It’s repetitive and exhausting and the child is almost always sick or injured and it feels like real , raw motherhood. This almost feels like a memoir instead of fiction. The style almost feels like stream of consciousness. Expertly crafted, different from everything else out there. Powerful. Thankfully this is not my experience of marriage but this will resonate with me long after reading. Can’t say I loved reading it during the reading because it really had me feeling like I was trapped in this marriage with her. I don’t have adequate words to describe this reading experience. Definitely recommend going into this with an open mind for having a different experience

Liars: A Blistering and Unforgettable Portrait of a Marriage in Ruins

Sarah Manguso's "Liars" is not a love story; it's a dissection of love's demise, told with a raw honesty that will leave you breathless. It's a story of a marriage that crumbles under the weight of ambition, ego, and the insidious lies we tell ourselves to survive.

Jane, an aspiring writer, falls for the charismatic filmmaker John Bridges, believing she's found her perfect match. But as their lives become intertwined, Jane finds her own dreams and identity slowly suffocated by her husband's overwhelming presence.

Manguso's prose is both razor-sharp and heartbreakingly tender, capturing the complexities of a relationship that turns toxic. Jane's journey from hopeful wife to disillusioned woman is painfully relatable, her anger and frustration simmering beneath the surface until it explodes in a cathartic climax.

"Liars" is a tour de force that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt trapped in a relationship or struggled to balance their own ambitions with the demands of love and family. It's a powerful reminder that even the most beautiful love stories can turn into nightmares, and that sometimes the bravest act is to walk away from the ashes and reclaim your own narrative.

This is not a book for the faint of heart, but it's an essential read for anyone seeking a raw and unflinching portrayal of marriage, motherhood, and the relentless pursuit of creative freedom.

The summary for this book is quick and easy: it's the anatomy of a not-very-good marriage.
Jane does her best to convince herself that she and John have a great marriage and a happy family, despite the fact that she's almost all but given up on her career and individual identity, and he is, by most accounts, a petty, manipulative narcissist.
I found the writing style, told in first person, a bit jarring - we only hear Jane, the narrator's name, a couple of times and the couple's child is never referred to by name; she simply calls him the child. John, however, is named constantly, as are friends and acquaintances. It seemed like a weird stylistic approach, almost as if Jane and the child are background characters in their own story, which, come to think of it, may have been the whole point.
At any rate, it was quite compelling following their saga, even though the entire time you just wanna tell her to wake up and throw out that pos.
Thanks to #netgalley and #hogarthbooks for this #arc of #liars by #sarahmanguso in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a masterclass in narrative control, managing to encapsulate 14 years of marriage with remarkable concision and specificity. I devoured it in less than 24 hours, which speaks to the intensity and rawness of the writing. It is surgically painful yet generously intimate, revealing the complexities of a long-term relationship in ways that felt deeply personal.

Ferocious, brilliant, angry. I love how Sarah Manguso makes transparent all the drudgery and work that goes into being a wife. This book is well-written and reads quickly. It is a one-sided account of a marriage with a narcissist. Love her writing.

This book follows our main character, Jane, who is an inspiring author. She meets this man named John and ends up getting married. To her, this is the type of man she pictures life forever with and a perfect marriage. Of course this does not happen. Jane takes care of all the housework and raising their child while her husband makes her slowly lose her mind. We see how this marriage and especially John, makes her start to lose herself and her personality. She was a writer, Wife, and mother, and slowly she just became a wife and mother.

I loved the writing. It was so real and the pacing was so well done. It felt so personal and like I was in the room watching everything unfold. This book will make you feel so much rage towards the husband and all his red flags.

I really loved this and look forward to reading more of Sarah Manguso's books.

OH MY GOD. Heartwrenching and brutal and amazing and I don't think I'll ever recover.. Super compulsive, I can only recommend it to the most fierce-hearted - the best people.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of ”Liars” in exchange for my honest opinion. This book was written in a unique style with no chapters. You get the first hand account of Jane and the struggles she faces as a married woman with a career, a pos husband, and eventually a child. I think several parts of this novel will resonate with most women, unfortunately. It really shows the inner struggles of motherhood, especially when said mother puts her child and husband ahead of herself, something the husband in this story does not do. I found I could relate to this as a mother. There is a sadness and frustration felt throughout novel, but still a good read.

I just finished reading "Liars" by Sarah Manguso, and wow, it felt like reading someone's private journal—raw, honest, and I felt a bit guilty reading it! Manguso unpacks the life of a woman navigating love, marriage, and motherhood with all the messiness that comes with it.

This isn't your typical fairy tale about marriage; it's a beautifully flawed and realistic portrayal of how love can change over time, for better or worse. The same cracks that seemed like cute quirks in the honeymoon phase become insurmountable problems later on. And while I didn't personally relate to every aspect of the story, I couldn't put it down. It's a fascinating character study where there are no clear heroes or villains—just real people making good and bad choices.

"Liars" is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. If you're looking for an unfiltered take on what it means to be a wife, mother, and woman in today's world, this book should be at the top of your list. But honestly, you don't need to fit any of those categories to appreciate the depth and vulnerability Manguso brings to the story. I'm definitely curious to explore more of the author's work after this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review

whew!! what a wild ride. I listened to the audio while reading along. I loved the depiction of what marriage and motherhood can ACTUALLY be like, the ugliness and all. I appreciated the slow resentment and contempt for her husband. It was excellent

Trigger Warnings: depression, mental health issues, dysfunctional marriage, suicidal ideation, infidelity, divorce

This story is a woman’s account of her dysfunctional and failed marriage. It’s repetitive, grim, and hopelessly depressing. Due to the extreme details and specific way it is written, and how it read like a daily journal, I highly suspect that it’s autobiographical but the author chose to mask it as fiction. The writing style is strange and some of the terms the author used were off-putting. The husband was depicted as a real SOB, however, we only get the portrayal of their marriage from the wife’s POV. There’s a lot of blaming and nitpicking towards the husband; some so petty it becomes absolutely ridiculous. There’s no accountability from the wife on what her part played in the marriage. I’m not sure what the point of this book is. The author wanting to put her own story into words for others going through the same experience? I suppose if you are/were, this book could be relatable and potentially comforting and therapeutic to read. Maybe she just wanted to shit-talk her ex to make herself feel better? Who knows.

*Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for this advanced reader copy. Pub date was 7/23/24.

of the brutal divorce books this year, this one is the most brutal. the totally one-sided perspective keeps making you think "who is the liar" and is actually really refreshing

One of the most claustrophobic books I've read. Every word clings and haunts. The story is beautifully told. Can't wait to see what Sarah Manguso comes out with next.

The writing style is so new and roped me in right away. Marriage makes women liars. That is the premise of the book as we read Jane's stream of conscious reflection on her marriage and life. This book was so relatable, and filled me with rage at the same time.

My entire body was tense from page 1 until i finished this book. Liars is a story of a very unhappy marriage from beginning to its inevitable end. Or narrator tells us what’s happening in her marriage in brief vingnettes. So brief that it makes the reader wonder, should we trust her? I felt so wrapped up in her head and her life. I never felt a stronger person POV before. Only criticism i have of the book is there is so much mention of the narrator’s bowel movements. Very unnecessary. Outside of that, loved it so much that I recommend the book to my book club in September. Can’t wait to her my group’s feedback!

Liars is feminine, maternal rage on the page (sorry for the rhyme). Liars is the story of a marriage and the way that can destroy...everything in a woman. We see Jane and John meet, and then this moves at a very quick pace. They marry, they have a child, and it is quickly apparent that this is...not okay. Nothing about their relationship is. We watch Jane become smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller.

While I could not literally relate to anything here, this felt so very real. It felt like a what could have been if life worked out differently (shoutout Nolan). This was a tense read that I could not look away from. It will make you ask how could she stay? and *that* is where the strength of this book lies. Manguso helps you answer this question, as frustrating as it may be. The last line of this book was so interesting to me and cemented that as something I'll be thinking about for a long time. My only gripe is it did feel a bit redundant, likely intentionally.

Liars by Sarah Manguso was my first book by this author and captivated me right from the start. We are introduced to a woman who had one vision of what her life would be and is living a totally different life. Jane and John meet, fall in love, get married and years later, their marriage is lacking. But whose fault is it? We get this story in Jane’s point of view, where we see her husband gaslighting her, alone and struggling to accomplish her dreams. We see this marriage crumble around Jane as she takes care of everything while her husband puts everything else before her. I felt her hopelessness and aggravations as the story progressed. In the end, it’s a story we can see happening and why some decisions are made, even when we know better. I enjoyed this book and am excited to read more from this author.

Happy reading!

I really enjoyed this one and the characters in it. I love literary suspense and enjoyed the setup for this one.