2014 is a very good year to read it.” - The Times (UK)

“Helen Dunmore’s two resources are imagination and research.

It is a book in which ghosts, perhaps, remain imaginary: but they are none the less real for that.” - Guardian (UK) “ The Lie is a fine example of Dunmore’s ability to perceive the long vistas of history in which the dead remain restless. “Distinguished by the sensual, compact intensity of Dunmore’s prose, The Lie lays bare on its local canvas the invisible wounds of a global catastrophe.” - Independent (UK) the emotional power resonates.” - Kirkus Reviews in this novel Dunmore has wreaked tenderness out of tragedy, so that the reader is left with the sense that something beautiful, however fleeting, has been salvaged from the darkness.” - The Observer (UK) a poet’s feeling for language shines through the descriptions of the landscape. Dunmore does a superb job of capturing her lead’s inner torment, even as his story creeps toward a shattering conclusion.” - Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed review) Endings are often the hardest beast for an author to tame, but Dunmore does it, with elegance, vigor and clarity.” - The Denver Post As this impeccable and finely wrought literary tale winds to a chilling conclusion, readers will themselves be haunted by its evocative portrayal of a life-defining friendship and loss.” - Bookpage “A poignant reminder that throughout history, the battle is far from over after a soldier returns home. Dunmore writes with elegant authority, her language crisp and tense.” - Entertainment Weekly “A piercing look at the long and lingering tentacles of war. At the culmination of The Lie, we are left with a reflection on how war for many soldiers does not end with treaties or returns to bucolic homes and old loves, but continues with the ghosts of those who died on the battlefield always there, haunting them-and us all.” - Washington Independent Review of Books With this novel, Dunmore should rank high among writers like Kipling who explore war, its aftermath, and its lies.

The Lie by Helen Dunmore