The Girl Who Couldn't Lie

Priya is pretending that everything is fine. But things are not fine. Her parents argue the whole time – but nothing must spoil the façade of a perfect home life. She is being bullied into ‘helping’ with homework to the detriment of her own. She is torn between her gymnastics – and her friends. She wishes she could be honest about things, but that means letting people down. She used to be able to talk to her grandmother before she died. Her Ba would have helped her. All she has now is a shiny gold bangle with a broken clasp. In a moment of desolation, she tries it on – the bangle closes. Surely a lovely memento? Then Priya finds that suddenly she is telling the truth…. And though this initially brings relief, some truths are perhaps better left unsaid. Now Priya is losing friends, hurting feelings. It is the bangle – but the bangle will not come off.

This is a lively contemporary story that will be enjoyed by its audience who will recognise the school background, the family pressures and the situations that Priya faces – tropes that are familiar to the genre. The author handles them well, with plenty of dialogue and a confident style, to draw young readers in to share Priya’s dilemmas. Surely speaking the truth should be seen as a virtue – but it can be tricky and young readers, through Priya, will be asked to consider the potential consequences of truth telling. When might it be more or less appropriate and why. Priya and her friends are nicely drawn creating a credible circle of characters. The school itself is very diverse – Priya, herself with an Indian background, her friend, Mei, Chinese while Sami’s big party is for her bat mitzvah. All have their own pressures allowing the author scope to bring further colour to her narrative and to the themes running through it. An engaging debut.