Book Review: Truth and Other Lies
Truth and Other Lies. Maggie Smith, Ten 16 Press, an imprint of Orange Hat Publishing, March 8 2022, Paperback and E-Book, 356 pages.
Reviewed by Lisa Sherman.
Maggie Smith intertwines ambition, friendship, and family with the power of secrets and social media in her new novel Truth and Other Lies.
Truth and Other Lies tells the story of New York Journalist Megan Barnes. She loses her job, gets dumped by her boyfriend, and returns to her childhood home of Chicago where her overbearing mother is running for Congress. Not only does Megan disagree politically with her mother, she also finds that, as the child of a candidate, no news agency will hire her.
To let off steam, Megan attends a rally on a college campus where she protects Jocelyn Jones, a successful journalist Megan admires, from a physical confrontation.
Grateful for Megan’s assistance, Jocelyn offers Megan the chance to work for her in PR to help promote Jocelyn’s upcoming book. Even though the job is not in journalism, Megan accepts the position because it promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will open doors for Megan in the future. When a tweet threatens Jocelyn’s career, Megan is tasked with finding out who is behind it. However, in the process she discovers things are not always what they seem, both with respect to Jocelyn or her own mother, and that secrets don’t remain secrets forever.
I very much enjoyed reading Truth and Other Lies by Maggie Smith. I was instantly pulled into the novel by the relatability of the main character, Megan, and her journey. Smith gradually peels back the layers of the story, revealing one secret after another, which kept me turning the pages as I tried to piece together the clues along with Megan.
In addition, I appreciated the depth of Smith’s characters. Smith’s characters have complicated histories that overlap and interweave as they navigate the complex worlds of politics, journalism, and social media. Smith does a masterful job exploring the interplay between these issues with wit and compassion all through the lens of a strong female protagonist. Smith’s descriptions of newsrooms, political rallies, and PR campaigns pop off the page and ring true.
Similarly, Smith does a wonderful job exploring the relationships between the female characters. Smith makes each of Megan’s relationships—with her best friend, her mother, and Jocelyn—unique and nuanced, showing readers what Megan learns from each.
I also really enjoyed Smith’s references to the city of Chicago and the outlying suburbs. Smith’s descriptions are spot on, and I felt as if I were exploring the various locations by Megan’s side.
Overall, I think Truth and Other Lies by Maggie Smith is an excellent book, and I am grateful I had the opportunity to read it. It is a quick read that is as entertaining as it is thoughtful. Fans of women’s fiction and anyone who is looking for a fun story with heart will enjoy this novel.