We’re working with an unreliable, or at the very least, a deeply confused, narrator, and the way that we’re shown the other characters, it’s hard to figure out who to trust. The book is full of unreliable characters. She has so many feelings! She's such an open character emotionally that it was easy to 'talk' to her, if that makes sense.ģ. I think all the pain she was experiencing really spoke to me. It definitely evolved and deepened in personality through all the drafts, but I would say that it came to me fairly developed. Thank you! Her voice is something I'm really proud of. Did this take many drafts to cultivate, or is it an element that was on the page from the start? Your voice is so strong and suited to adding the subtle twists and turns in the very deliberate word choices. Once I rewrote using the frame story, much of the narrative sort of clicked into place because Remy was now really examining her relationship with Elise and seeing all these things that she'd missed.Ģ. The first way I'd envisioned the story didn't work structurally because Remy needed to be examining all of the things that she'd experienced, which wasn't possible without that look-back perspective.

The story came to me linearly, and it wasn't until maybe draft 4 or 5 that I added the frame story of Remy speaking to Detective Ward. Did the book come to you out of order, or did you think of the story linearly and rearrange it later to add suspense? It’s timeline is broken up, and we’re given the events in fragmented flashes. If you haven't read the book, check out my review first for more (spoiler free) context on the story, and make sure you head to the store to grab a copy of your own.ġ. I absolutely love getting to share this interview with you as this book is absolutely fascinating! We dive into how she pieced together the perfect twists and turns in her thriller, handled an unreliable narrator, and responsibly handling a toxic friendship story.

The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu