E. Lockhart's We Were Liars is a young-adult novel about Cadence Sinclair Eastman, a privileged teenager whose carefree summers at her grandfather's private island are disrupted by a traumatic accident she can't recall. After returning to the island two years later, Cadence remembers how she burnt down her grandfather's summer home, accidentally killing two of her cousins and the boy she loved.
Cadence's childhood summers at Beechwood Island have always been wonderful. She spends most of her time with her same-age cousins, Mirren and Johnny. When they are eight, Aunt Carrie's partner Ed brings his nephew Gat to the island. He is quickly absorbed into the group, and Johnny, Mirren, Gat, and Cadence become known as the Liars. At fourteen, Cadence realizes she is in love with Gat. She is excited to see him the next summer, but is dismayed to learn he has a girlfriend back in New York. Nevertheless, the fifteen-year-olds become increasingly affectionate with each other. After kissing, they behave as a couple while on the island, and Cadence is happy.
Summer fifteen turns tragic when Cadence and the Liars grow fed up with the adult daughters of Cadence's grandfather fighting over the inheritance he has threatened to give away to his alma mater. Attacking a symbol of the grandfather's patriarchal power, the Liars burn down his house one night when everyone else is off the island, hoping to cleanse the family and start over. The plan goes awry when Cadence sets the first floor on fire before the other Liars have cleared the premises. The only survivor of the tragedy, Cadence becomes addicted to painkillers and suffers from severe migraines and selective amnesia. When she returns to the island for summer seventeen, she spends time with ghost versions of the Liars, who help her come to terms with the accident.
Exploring themes of grief, inheritance, repression, privilege, and trauma, We Were Liars depicts a well-to-do family torn apart by greed and manipulation. Although the book was written for young adults, it became something of a crossover hit, landing on the New York Times Bestseller List in June 2014 and remaining there for thirteen weeks. We Were Liars also won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction.
