The Lie Tree

Although strictly speaking this is a children’s book, I absolutely loved it as an adult reader. It explores all my favorite themes – the role of women in society, the conflict between science and religion, the darker elements of humanity – all wrapped up in murder mystery with the wonderful fantastical premise of a tree that feeds on whispered lies and whose fruit (when eaten) imparts the deepest of truths. Honestly, this novel has it all – a windswept island, forbidden truths, hidden secrets, and a deeply flawed main female character battling against societal expectations in the mid-19th Century.

Officially classified as ‘Children’s or Young Adults’ literature, but as so often in this genre, it can be read on many different levels. Set in Victorian times, we meet a young girl called Faith, who clearly has immense talent and a fascination for knowledge, desperately wishing to emulate her scientist father. But he dashes her hopes: “Listen, Faith. A girl cannot be brave, or clever, or skilled as a boy can…..Do you understand?” The author cleverly weaves threads of post-Darwinian arguments – which themselves are used to prop up the idea of women’s inferiority - with metaphors around the nature… show more.