None Of This Is True By Lisa Jewell

‘None Of This Is True’ is the latest book by Lisa Jewell.

Lisa jewell is one of my favourite authors, her books are packed with drama, mystery and flawed characters that make for gripping reading.

I was attending an appointment and brought the book with me and it kept me company whilst the appointment ran over.

Like Lisa’s previous novels, the story is seen through multiple narratives and written in past and present tenses.

The story is primarily seen through the narrative of Alix and Josie who meet randomly one day when our celebrating their birthdays. Both the same age and both attended the same school and area. Alix is a successful influencer with a podcast series under her belt and two children whilst Josie is a bored housewife who stitches and has a daughter that hides away in her bedroom and a husband that she has begun to resent. Josie suggests to Alix that she becomes the subject of her next series as she has quite the story to tell.

The story then follows the strange friendship between the pair as Josie weaves her way into Alix lives and causes chaos and uncertainty in the normally confident woman’s life.

Josie is one of the most dislikable characters that I’ve ever read. She comes across as a meek and naive woman but she’s clever and manipulative and knows how to get under people’s skins and provoke a reaction. The only time, you really seen show any kind of humanity is towards Fred, her dog. Also as the title suggests, she’s unreliable so you spend a lot of the time wondering what is actually the truth and what is lies in her fabricated world.
I loved Alix she leads a life that many people aspire to have, a successful career, children and a marriage. The only negative in her perfect life, is her husband’s love of partying. And she’s comfortable in her life until Josie begins to point out these flaws and wonders why Alix puts up his behaviour.

Lisa writes so vividly in parts, that you feel you’re almost there with the characters and living their lives. With descriptions of the salubrious areas and the busy neighbourhoods bustling with hipster cafes and restaurants,

Taunt, chilling and wonderfully intense, ‘None Of This Story’ is a dark exploration into female relationships, the gripping world of reality shows and just how far a person will go to make their mark in the world.