Why Did You Lie by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

"Why Did you Lie?"

A question that's been following me around for the past week. Why, and more to the point who? I've been on quite the journey with my latest book, and have enjoyed every second of it.

So why should you read it? Would it work if I simply said, "because you must!"? Probably not, but really, you must, and I'll try to convince you why!

If you've ever read a Sigurdardottir before, you'll know exactly why it should be on your TBR. But if not, I'm sure you'll love it. 

It's amazing for so many reasons.

Character development is fantastic, I really got to know the main characters, I got to feel for them, and needed to know how things turned out for them. I found myself not being able to stop reading, so many times, I just had to carry on, for the ever illusive, one more chapter. And even then, one more was never enough. Sigurdardottir has a wonderful knack of making you NEED to carry on, and that is just one knack she has.

Along with not being able to put the book down, I also found I couldn't stop thinking about it, because it freaked me out so much! And I'll tell you why that is a knack.

Movie directors and producers go to great lengths to add suspense to scenes in their movies, and there are only a select few that manage it perfectly. Its common knowledge that to add suspense to a scene you have to adjust the lighting, add eerie music, or make it silent, they pull out all the stops, add all the bells and whistles; many things to make the viewers scared, to make them say 'that was so freaky!' Now let me tell you about this book. An author has no music, no lighting to tamper with, can add no bells and whistles, they have simply a page, the written word, and a reader. I've read loads of books, and I can tell you, there are very few authors that can achieve an air of suspense and eeriness, because its such a difficult thing to do. Yet, Sigurdardottir does it to perfection. There is nothing overly fancy, no frills, no over-exaggerations, just her words, but she terrified me. I was so scared! I have never been this scared! So many times, I found myself thinking that if the electric should suddenly shut off, and the lights went out, I would be at very high risk of being rushed to the emergency room! The knack to scare a reader, to add that level of suspense with just your words is a knack that very few, and definitely not enough authors have.

Some books also are so complex, that the outcome becomes so unbelievable. Yet Sigurdardottir achieved what I can only describe as a complex simplicity. The stories of each character, was somehow interwoven, each one being so different, and yet, was so beautifully simple. Such beautiful writing should always be commended, and comes with very high recommendations from me. 

I genuinely hope you have the chance to read this book, it would be a travesty to miss this off any TBR list.

It was a book, a story, on a par with any Agatha Christie novel. I had no idea who I was supposed to suspect, and was so wonderfully shocked when I dscovered who it was. The outcome of the book was fantastic.

From a human standpoint, I truly understood the pursuit of justice, and yet it was such a warped sense of justice, but really got it. Any author who makes you feel that way for the perpetrator of a crime, is a truly magnificent author, and not one that should be ignored! Do not ignore Yrsa Sigurdardottir!

And, despite being a fantastic author, I believe she is also a lovely lady, for she took the time to wish me well via instagram on my book blog account. And for that I thank her.

I also thank her for a truly beautiful masterpiece.

Yrsa, Thank you!

I look forward to reading you again soon. 

It's been beautiful!

I'll keep you posted.