Book Review: ‘The Lie Tree’ by Frances Hardinge

The Lie Tree is a stand-alone novel by Frances Hardinge that is a mix of both historical fiction, natural history, and magical realism.

Set in the 1800s when there was still much to learn and debate about the natural world, the novel follows the 14 year old reverend’s daughter Faith Sunderly and her family as they move to the island of Vale to escape rumours of scandal on the mainland. Gossip follows them, the locals want them gone and when Faith’s father is found dead there is an entire island of suspects. But Faith is only a girl and no one believes her suspicions. To find the truth she learn to use an unusual plant in her father’s collection – a tree that feeds on lies and grants visions in return. Only the lies that Faith spreads around Vale prove difficult to control once they have been unleased.

I first read The Lie Tree a few years after it came out. By that point I felt the book had been hyped to the point of over-hyped with a large number of people telling me that I absolutely needed to read this book. When curiosity finally got the better of me I was worried. Could the novel really live up to all of those promises and expectations?

As it turns out…yes, it could!

We see the events of the novel through Faith’s eyes. As a protagonist I found her to be both engaging and someone I felt sympathy for. Faith has had to come to turns with being second best in the eyes of her family. She is both nanny and governess to her six year old brother Howard and she is treated more like a lady’s maid than a daughter by her mother. The only scrap of kindness she receives is from her father and their shared interest in natural history but his moods blow hot and cold and he rarely values Faith as an equal.

While technically the inclusion of the Lie Tree places this story into the sub-genre of magical realism, I love that at no point is the tree considered magical. Rather Faith and the Reverend Erasmus study the tree from a scientific point of view as they separately conduct experiments and detailed observations on the tree. This decision to keep the narrative rooted in the real word I believe enhanced the story.

The first half of the novel sets the scene of life on Vale, teases the secrets held by multiple characters, and establishes the positive and negative relationships held between the various individuals. The second half of novel focuses on Faith detective work to find her father’s killer.

What follows is an enthralling dynamic between Faith and the Lie Tree as the former is compelled to careful sow lies and discord around Vale in exchange for the tree’s visions. We see Faith’s mix of logic, hope, and desperation as she must discover the truth before the coroner’s inquest. It was enjoyable to see Faith react to the different situations her lies created and amend her theories based on what new information she gleaned.

This young adult mystery explores themes of loneliness, family, society and an unwavering search for knowledge. Faith is a wonderfully pro-active protagonist and her choices are continually pushing the plot forwards. No matter how many times I reread this book I still find enjoyment in its story.

---

Related Posts:

If you enjoyed this review you may also like these reviews: