The Truth and Other Lies - Sascha Arango

Sascha Arango is an award winning German screenplay writer. The Truth and Other Lies is his first novel.

I was intrigued from the opening pages....

"Henry Hayden seems like someone you could admire, or even like. A famous bestselling author with the air of a modest everyman. A loving, devoted husband even though he could have any woman he desires. A generous, compassionate friend. But Henry Hayden is a construction, a mask. His past is a secret, his methods more so. Only he and his wife know that she is the actual writer of the novels that made him famous."

What a great premise eh?! But Henry can't seem to help himself. His mistress is pregnant and his carefully constructed life has cracks in it. What to do?

Except that this time Henry makes a mistake..... The Truth and Other Lies is Henry's attempt to correct that mistake. And the problem that is the result of that correction. And....Well, you get the picture.

Henry is not a nice character, and yet he is. His actions are terrible at times, yet he can be kind. But at the root of it all, he is self serving manipulator - but a brilliant one.

"Thanks to his experience of lying, or merely making excuses, Henry was confident that people would continue to believe him as long as he lied. It was only the truth he had to be sparing and prudent with."

Arango's novel was quite unpredictable, as was Henry. There are twists and turns and secrets and I had no idea what was going to happen next. The novel echoes that feel - it jumps about, startling the reader at times and keeping us off kilter.

I could easily see The Truth and Other Lies as a movie - Arango's screenwriting skills translated well to novel format.

Decidedly dark and twisty - and  a deliciously different read.  Read an excerpt of The Truth and Other Lies.

(The Truth and Other Lies reminded me somewhat of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley.)