I received this book from the publisher

Faiza is a Pakistani woman living in England, married to a white man. Her husband is a banker which has allowed them to live in a very posh part of London. Their children attend private schools. Faiza is a stay-at-home mum (mom). The women living in this area shop at certain stores, have high end hairdressers, and host botox parties. To be in this environment you need to fit in. Faiza has spent her life dealing with society’s treatment of people with brown skin. All she wants is to fit in to the background. So she goes out of her way to dress, talk, and behave like the other mothers. The other mothers have a very lavish lifestyle. She hasn’t been able to do all that she’s wanted on the tight budget her husband has her on. Little things crop up from time to time and she has dipped into their savings necessary. Recent economic events lead to her husband being laid off. With neither of them working, a mortgage, tuition payments, and bills all need to be paid. Fortunately, they have a cushion because of their savings account. Or do they? How much have all these little extras added up to? Faiza doesn’t know and really hopes it all goes away. Perhaps her husband will find a job quickly and forget about the savings.

At the heart of this story is the question in the title. Can you spot a liar? As a child, parents teach us not to lie. What if your parents taught you how to lie? A white lie here and there seem so harmless until they begin stacking up. The truth comes out and the liar is left answering why they felt it necessary to lie. There are people like Faiza that believe that if they ignore and uncomfortable situation, it will resolve itself. How many times has that happened in your life?

When Faiza’s husband is laid off they decide to keep the news to themselves. Maybe he will find a job so quickly that they won’t need to tell anyone. They both have seen how cruel people can be to each other. When someone falls on hard times, some people seem to take great pleasure watching them struggle. True friends should be a support system that can help you vent and even encourage you. Will any of their “group” extend a helping hand when the news comes out?

Faiza dreads the day when she has to show her husband the savings account balance. How will she be able to explain her behavior? At the heart of this is her fear that her husband will leave her. Faiza lies and one lie spins into another until she is caught up in a mess. At what point does the web of lies truly become so burdensome that you have to stop? How much damage will be done and how much damage will Faiza’s relationships endure?

This book has some “Shopaholic” type circumstances with the lies compounding a difficult situation. Failing to face the problem does not make it go away. Faiza is flawed, completely human but how has she managed to find herself at this point in life lying more than telling the truth?

The second major element of this story is how we treat people of different races. Faiza’s parents expect her to her to educate her children in the Pakistani culture. Her children only wish to be viewed like everyone else. Faiza diligently takes her children to family cultural events. She is really stuck between two worlds. The mothers at her children’s schools are polite to her face yet she overhears them gossiping about her and her racial background. The mothers thinly veil their remarks, ultimately insulting Faiza. They may give lip service to being inclusive but they have no intention to truly include her. It is so sad to see what treatment she endures from them. Will she find pride in her background or will she continue trying to hide? She has friends that she shares some confidences with but she is still reluctant to open up even to them.

Lies, racial stereotypes, self confidence all burden Faiza. The more she tries to hide things the worse the situation becomes yet she goes to extremes to hide what she has done. The main character is well developed but Faiza’s husband and children could use a little more background as they seem one dimensional. The story moves along quickly and has a satisfactory conclusion. This book serves as a good reminder that your life isn’t as screwed up as you think – even if it is fiction.

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻/5

Additional Thoughts: What I struggled with in this book was understanding why an adult could naively think that she would not have to admit responsibility for her actions. I know it happens I just think that trying to keep all those stories straight is too much work. Never once do we see Faiza worrying about the kind of example she is setting for her kids by lying all the time. To me, that is a strong incentive not to lie. If you put all that all aside, it’s an interesting look at life in the upper class area of London.