The Lies That Bind: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - In this irresistible novel from the author of All We Ever Wanted and Something Borrowed, a young woman falls hard for an impossibly perfect man before he disappears without a trace. . . . It's 2 A.M. on a Saturday night in the spring of 2001, and twenty-eight-year-old Cecily Gardner sits alone in a dive bar in New York's East Village, questioning her life. Feeling lonesome and homesick for the Midwest, she wonders if she'll ever make it as a reporter in the big city--and whether she made a terrible mistake in breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, Matthew. As Cecily reaches for the phone to call him, she hears a guy on the barstool next to her say, "Don't do it--you'll regret it." Something tells her to listen, and over the next several hours--and shots of tequila--the two forge an unlikely connection. That should be it, they both decide the next morning, as Cecily reminds herself of the perils of a rebound relationship. Moreover, their timing couldn't be worse--Grant is preparing to quit his job and move overseas. Yet despite all their obstacles, they can't seem to say goodbye, and for the first time in her carefully constructed life, Cecily follows her heart instead of her head. Then Grant disappears in the chaos of 9/11. Fearing the worst, Cecily spots his face on a missing-person poster, and realizes she is not the only one searching for him. Her investigative reporting instincts kick into action as she vows to discover the truth. But the questions pile up fast: How well did she really know Grant? Did he ever really love her? And is it possible to love a man who wasn't who he seemed to be? The Lies That Bind is a mesmerizing and emotionally resonant exploration of the never-ending search for love and truth--in our relationships, our careers, and deep within our own hearts.
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Community Reviews
Emily Giffin's tenth novel, The Lies That Bind, ponders how to recognize the person one is meant to be with, the consequences of choices, and the power of forgiveness.
Set in New York City against the backdrop of the events of September 11, 2001, it's an exploration of two deeply flawed but well-intentioned people who, against all odds, manage to find each other and fall in love. And the ways in which their relationship is tested by timing, circumstances, and their own mistakes. Giffin says her writing is inspired by the power of major events like 9/11 "to cause us to sort of pause and step back, reflect and consider what we really want for our lives, from our lives, and what really matters to us."
As the story opens, Cecily Gardner has just broken up with her longtime boyfriend, Matthew, because he refuses to take their relationship to the next level. She wants a commitment, promises, and a mapped-out future as a couple. Alone, sleepless, and second-guessing her decision, she ignores the advice of her best friend, Scottie, and ventures out to a grimy dive bar on the Lower East Side for a drink. Having left her cell phone in her apartment, she asks the bartender if she can use the land line and begins dialing Matthew's number. But a voice behind her says, "Don't do it." She turns to see an extremely tall, attractive man with an amused look on his face. He repeats, "Don't do it. Don't call him." As they strike up a conversation, he tells her, "He's your ex for a reason. Onward." They continue talking and by the time the bar closes, they have agreed not to exchange names. She nonetheless invites him to her apartment. It's a reckless, out of character maneuver. They sleep together that night -- fully clothed.
The next morning they exchange basic information, agree that they want to see each other again, and Cecily gives the enchanting, intelligent Grant Smith her telephone numbers. When she finally hears from him several days later, they begin spending time together, taking the physical aspect of their relationship very slowly. Grant tells Cecily he's a Wall Street trader but is leaving his job to take his gravely ill twin brother, Byron, to England to participate in a clinical trial. They lost their mother to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. His brother inherited the gene; Grant did not. And now he plans to devote himself to supporting his brother in the hope that the progression of the degenerative disease can be slowed. Cecily promises that she will wait for Grant, knowing how important it is that he spend time with and care for Byron. She even makes a trip to London with Scottie to visit and meets Byron. Grant returns to New York on September 10, 2011, and spends that night with Cecily, who still, despite all the conversations they have had and all the time they have spent together, does not know the name of the company where Grant is employed, the location of his office, or many other salient details about his life.
Readers old enough to remember 9/11 may find Giffin's frank portrayal of that day, from Cecily's vantage point, painful reading. She is awakened by a frantic call from Scottie as he watches news coverage at his home in Wisconsin. As so many people did that horrible morning, he frantically asks Cecily, "Oh my God! Are you watching?" Cecily's first-person narrative reflects the confusion, shock, disbelief, and utter despair that people around the world experienced as they observed two planes hit the World Trade Center, watched in stunned silence as people leapt to their death from the upper floors, and struggled to comprehend that those two 110-story buildings did, in fact, crumble before their eyes. Cecily joins her colleagues reporting the story on the streets, talking with survivors and gathering first-hand accounts as New Yorkers frantically search for loved ones who worked in the Towers. As the hours tick by, she becomes increasingly convinced that Grant must have worked there, too, because she is unable to reach him.
Cecily is assigned to cover a candlelight vigil the next evening in Washington Square Park, and it is there she discovers Grant's fate. She spots a flyer with the word "MISSING" beneath his photo, along with a telephone number and a request for information about his whereabouts.
From there, the story's focus is on Cecily's quest for the truth about the man she loved. She employs her skills as reporter to investigate, crossing ethical boundaries in the process. She never stopped caring about Matthew -- they remained in touch after breaking up -- and after what she has been through, she reevaluates her choices yet again, and assess her goals and priorities in the aftermath of losing Grant. She questions what matters most to her in a relationship, as more details about Grant come to light and she concludes that she never really knew him at all. She becomes obsessed with learning everything about Grant, her instincts telling her that there is still more to the story and, in the process, tipping precariously close to destroying everything she has worked for.
Giffin's impeccable pacing propels the story forward as she injects shocking revelations and complications with dramatic effect. Cecily is forced, at every juncture, to make choices that will have far-reaching consequences for all involved. And she doesn't always choose wisely. But despite her shortcomings and limitations, she is inherently likable even when employing a reprehensible approach to finding the answers she seeks. Her desperation is palpable and credible. Grant and Matthew are revealed to be equally fallible -- in starkly different ways. Cecily turns to her parents, brother, and Scottie for unconditional guidance and support sans judgment. In the process, Giffin believably illustrates how Cecily comes to terms with her own behavior. The different ways in which Giffin's characters express love, and their individual capacities for growth and forgiveness are believable and keep the story interesting, even as Giffin's over-the-top plot twists strain credulity. Redemption figures prominently in the story, as do the freeing power of atonement, and the blessings that flow in the form of second chances.
The Lies That Bind is an entertaining examination of Cecily's search for genuine satisfaction, and her journey to becoming an empowered, confident woman who has learned much from her past, including that nothing is perfect but sometimes, despite all their imperfections, some people really "are better together than we are apart."
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
Set in New York City against the backdrop of the events of September 11, 2001, it's an exploration of two deeply flawed but well-intentioned people who, against all odds, manage to find each other and fall in love. And the ways in which their relationship is tested by timing, circumstances, and their own mistakes. Giffin says her writing is inspired by the power of major events like 9/11 "to cause us to sort of pause and step back, reflect and consider what we really want for our lives, from our lives, and what really matters to us."
As the story opens, Cecily Gardner has just broken up with her longtime boyfriend, Matthew, because he refuses to take their relationship to the next level. She wants a commitment, promises, and a mapped-out future as a couple. Alone, sleepless, and second-guessing her decision, she ignores the advice of her best friend, Scottie, and ventures out to a grimy dive bar on the Lower East Side for a drink. Having left her cell phone in her apartment, she asks the bartender if she can use the land line and begins dialing Matthew's number. But a voice behind her says, "Don't do it." She turns to see an extremely tall, attractive man with an amused look on his face. He repeats, "Don't do it. Don't call him." As they strike up a conversation, he tells her, "He's your ex for a reason. Onward." They continue talking and by the time the bar closes, they have agreed not to exchange names. She nonetheless invites him to her apartment. It's a reckless, out of character maneuver. They sleep together that night -- fully clothed.
The next morning they exchange basic information, agree that they want to see each other again, and Cecily gives the enchanting, intelligent Grant Smith her telephone numbers. When she finally hears from him several days later, they begin spending time together, taking the physical aspect of their relationship very slowly. Grant tells Cecily he's a Wall Street trader but is leaving his job to take his gravely ill twin brother, Byron, to England to participate in a clinical trial. They lost their mother to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. His brother inherited the gene; Grant did not. And now he plans to devote himself to supporting his brother in the hope that the progression of the degenerative disease can be slowed. Cecily promises that she will wait for Grant, knowing how important it is that he spend time with and care for Byron. She even makes a trip to London with Scottie to visit and meets Byron. Grant returns to New York on September 10, 2011, and spends that night with Cecily, who still, despite all the conversations they have had and all the time they have spent together, does not know the name of the company where Grant is employed, the location of his office, or many other salient details about his life.
Readers old enough to remember 9/11 may find Giffin's frank portrayal of that day, from Cecily's vantage point, painful reading. She is awakened by a frantic call from Scottie as he watches news coverage at his home in Wisconsin. As so many people did that horrible morning, he frantically asks Cecily, "Oh my God! Are you watching?" Cecily's first-person narrative reflects the confusion, shock, disbelief, and utter despair that people around the world experienced as they observed two planes hit the World Trade Center, watched in stunned silence as people leapt to their death from the upper floors, and struggled to comprehend that those two 110-story buildings did, in fact, crumble before their eyes. Cecily joins her colleagues reporting the story on the streets, talking with survivors and gathering first-hand accounts as New Yorkers frantically search for loved ones who worked in the Towers. As the hours tick by, she becomes increasingly convinced that Grant must have worked there, too, because she is unable to reach him.
Cecily is assigned to cover a candlelight vigil the next evening in Washington Square Park, and it is there she discovers Grant's fate. She spots a flyer with the word "MISSING" beneath his photo, along with a telephone number and a request for information about his whereabouts.
From there, the story's focus is on Cecily's quest for the truth about the man she loved. She employs her skills as reporter to investigate, crossing ethical boundaries in the process. She never stopped caring about Matthew -- they remained in touch after breaking up -- and after what she has been through, she reevaluates her choices yet again, and assess her goals and priorities in the aftermath of losing Grant. She questions what matters most to her in a relationship, as more details about Grant come to light and she concludes that she never really knew him at all. She becomes obsessed with learning everything about Grant, her instincts telling her that there is still more to the story and, in the process, tipping precariously close to destroying everything she has worked for.
Giffin's impeccable pacing propels the story forward as she injects shocking revelations and complications with dramatic effect. Cecily is forced, at every juncture, to make choices that will have far-reaching consequences for all involved. And she doesn't always choose wisely. But despite her shortcomings and limitations, she is inherently likable even when employing a reprehensible approach to finding the answers she seeks. Her desperation is palpable and credible. Grant and Matthew are revealed to be equally fallible -- in starkly different ways. Cecily turns to her parents, brother, and Scottie for unconditional guidance and support sans judgment. In the process, Giffin believably illustrates how Cecily comes to terms with her own behavior. The different ways in which Giffin's characters express love, and their individual capacities for growth and forgiveness are believable and keep the story interesting, even as Giffin's over-the-top plot twists strain credulity. Redemption figures prominently in the story, as do the freeing power of atonement, and the blessings that flow in the form of second chances.
The Lies That Bind is an entertaining examination of Cecily's search for genuine satisfaction, and her journey to becoming an empowered, confident woman who has learned much from her past, including that nothing is perfect but sometimes, despite all their imperfections, some people really "are better together than we are apart."
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
I enjoyed this book and the plot twists even though it was riddled with and ruled by ridiculous coincidence.
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