My Review: Before I started this book, I thought "Ok, this is a teenager, so go easy on him." Little did I know that I would read a book that, not only is very well written but one that I could not put down! Dahl has done an excellent job in his research for "Lies" and executed the story beautifully.
I was very familiar with the Salem Witch trials. I knew enough about it to know what happened but not any more details than that. This is a story of a girl, who is 12 years old at the time the story begins. Her name is Ann Putnam Jr. One day after church she is asked to her friend, Betty Parris' house. "Magic" was the word used to describe what Betty wanted her to see. In other words, witchcraft.
Ann was a girl who followed the ways of the Lord and knew that anything pertaining to witchcraft was a sin. Yet, she was so curious and the more she tried to convince herself not to go, the more she wanted to. Upon arriving at Betty's house, she took Ann into a back room where a few other girls were waiting. One was Abigail, Betty's cousin. The Parris' family slave, Tituba, enters the room and instantly Ann is horrified. She pulls out a dirty glass and a small bottle filled with water. She fills the glass almost full and then cracks and egg and puts the yolk into the water. Tituba then begins swirling it. Ann knows this is wrong but she is so intrigued that she cannot help but look. As the futures of the other girls are told, Ann waits, listening and nervous. What will hers hold? Suddenly, the yolk started coming out of the glass, took on a human shape which quickly turned into a coffin! It made it's way towards Ann and she started screaming! The shape vanished. The others in the room acted as if nothing had happened! Ann was so confused. Had they not seen that?!
Ann rushes home. She is hoping that nobody will find out what happened but little does she know, things are just getting started. The next day, Betty and Abigail get sick. They would scream, twitch and stare at things unseen. For weeks, they were that way and Ann knew this had to do with what they experienced with Tituba. The townspeople had prayed and doctors had done all they knew to do. They all came to the decision that witchcraft must have done this.
Ann knew the truth and she wanted to help her friends so she decided to make others believe she is also sick. She uses this to see if any other witches would be exposed, but what she doesn't expect is to have her father use her in such a way that will change her life forever. It is absolutely amazing to see what a person will or will not do for someone they love.
Ann was responsible for dozens of deaths with most of them, if not all of them, being innocent men and women. In the end though, will she regret what she has done, or will the pleasure of doing enough wrong deeds make her heart hard? You need to get the book and find out!
I really did enjoy this book and thing Dahl did a wonderful job with the historical aspect and keeping the events true to the time as well as making the story come alive! To be a teenager, he writes outstandingly! I look forward to reading other works by him and feel that he has a very bright future in the literary world.
Click here to purchase Lies on Amazon!
*****5 Stars!! Very Well Done!
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