Speechless. Absolutely speechless.

I think it would be fair to say this is one of Lisa’s darker, more psychologically disturbing novels, out of the ones I’ve read at least. And you know what, I am here for it!

What is ‘None of this is true’ about?

While out celebrating her 45th birthday at a local pub, Alix Summers, a well known podcaster, comes across her birthday twin, Josie Fair.

Josie, a seemingly ordinary woman, has a story to tell and she’s adamant to share it with Alix. She ensures she bumps into her few days after the birthday celebrations, accidentally on purpose and pitches her idea for a podcast.

Alix’s previous work focused heavily on women’s transformation stories, a phase of life Josie claims to find herself in right now. Her life seems to be confusing and strange, and the podcaster cannot help but feel intrigued by the idea that there might be more to Josie’s life than is shown on the surface. Despite the unrest Josie is causing her, Alix immerses herself more and more into the project, as dark secrets and inconsistencies start to emerge. Josie begins to impose herself into podcaster’s day to day life but as soon as she appears, she’s gone just as quickly, leaving a trail of unanswered questions in her wake.

‘None of this is true’ has an incredible pace. Short but action packed chapters are well structured around ‘podcasts’ recordings as well as Netflix documentary. This documentary is happening in the future and so it gives the readers an insight into how the story unfolds.

I want to talk about the structure of the ending in this novel. I will not spoil any story details but in case you want to avoid any inkling on how the novel ends, skip the next paragraphs with green background.

The ending is left ambiguous. The reason I want to talk about it is because I’ve seen online that it has bothered a lot of people. They deem the story unfinished and hope for a sequel.

I love ambiguous endings. There is no right or wrong answer – it is left up to you as a reader to come up with your conclusion based on your interpretation of the stories’ perspectives. Ambiguous endings, in my opinion, are realistic and make the stories that much more of an immersive experience.

Life is rarely fair. More often than not, you don’t get a closure, or a satisfying resolution. Love isn’t always requited. Crime isn’t always punished. Coke does not always have whiskey in it. In life, there may come a time when you will not get a closure from something or someone, and you’ll have to find your own. Why shouldn’t you do the same with a book?

Another aspect of this novel that I found appealing was the intricacy of the characters. I was fully immersed in their lives from the beginning, and it was beneficial that Josie, Alix, and others were meticulously crafted and evolved characters who brought the story to life. It was hard to know who to trust and who to root for till the very last pages and that, for me, is a sign of well written story.

I’m done gushing over this book, you should just go and check it out for yourselves, I’ll wait. Honestly, it’s been a while since I have five stars away but ‘None of this is true’ deserves it. It is the best book I read this year so far.