Andrea Gillies

The White Lie is a story of a family's inability to be truthful with itself. It is about repressed emotion, appearances, conventionality and that most British of things, embarassment. Michael, the narrator, admits to being dead from the start, and he tells his tale slowly, hesitantly, picking through the motives and emotions of his family for clues. Although there is a mystery - the shadows and secrets around the real events of Michael's death - this is not a whodunnit in the conventional sense. It is possible to work out at least some of the truth of it quite early on; that isn't what keeps the reader engaged. Rather, it is the manner of the telling, the rich detail of observation, and the oppressive atmosphere of the family in its ancestral place that make this an enthralling read. If you love a good murder mystery, it could be a disappointment: this is a book that reveals the hidden, pale underside of human motives, and it does that superbly well.… (meer)

This mystery presents itself in an interesting way- the story is told from the perspective of the murder victim, and no one seems at all unclear on the identity of the killer. As such, the book really focuses more on the how and why than the the who, and reflects an interesting perspective of the murder victim aging and maturing as he haunts his home- he has a deeper understanding of and sympathy for its series of overlapping secrets.

That said, there are periods when the narrative starts to drag making reading a challenge. Also, the central mystery and revelations are nothing of the sort for an astute reader. I am not actually certain if they are supposed to be a surprise but it seems likely, and yet the suspense simply wasn't here. Regardless, the books is well-written and the story enjoyable. I felt engaged with the characters, especially poor Michael, even if I never really understood why his entire family was willing to allow his aunt's involvement in his murder to go uninvestigated.… (meer)