The novel One of Us is Lying, by Karen McManus, is a Young-Adult mystery novel that is centered around the murder of a high-school student by the name of Simon Kelleher, who coincidentally runs the school’s most infamous gossip page. One day after class, four other students plus Simon were being prosecuted in detention for minor offenses they claim to have no part in. In this high school, the stereotypes are real-as-ever; There is Bronwyn, the “nerd,” Addy, “the beauty,” Cooper, the “jock,” Nate, the “bad boy”, and Simon, the outlier. All five of the students are indigenous to their certain cliques, flourishing in the gossip that springs that daisies around teenagers. Simon, a “gardener,” harvests these “flowers” to publish online in the most beautiful of arrangements. His words spark anonymous controversy and drama amongst the tyrannical “popular” groups, gaining him the kind of high-school fame that makes people want you dead. It just so happens that Simon suffers a fatal allergic reaction in this detention amongst his four fellow peers, who rush to his side, just for him to die hours later at the hospital from the severe shock. It turns out that the next day Simon was supposed to post some more juicy gossip on his “popular” classmates accompanying him in detention, but coincidentally, did not make it to do so. Is this a scenario of bad luck, or did one of the students have a secret that they would rather murder someone than break loose? Several comparisons can be made between the high school in One of Us is Lying and those in real-life, such as the presence of stereotypical, catty cliques and “juicy gossip” which students enjoy spreading in order to thrive. The representation of these high-school qualities connects with McManus’s readers: teenagers. Each teen can relate to the stereotypes illustrated, whether they are a part of one, or have observed them. High-school cliques are as real as they seem in McManus’s One of Us is Lying, which transports the reader into the grimly set scenery of Bayview highschool. The novel’s theme can be construed as the effects of lies conflicting with the truth, as the students constantly contradict each other’s stories to cover for themselves. On the other hand, even though murders do not usually happen inside of school, the underlying concepts of McManus’s novel speaks to the readers who have experienced the cruel ways of high school: gossip and cattiness, while everyone tries to fit in. Personally, I recommend reading this book if you are in high school or have graduated from it, so you can really grasp the feelings of the characters. Overall, this novel was incredibly interesting and will hook you into Bayview Highschool, trying to decipher who might have killed Simon Kelleher the whole time.
Alle B.
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