Lies You Wanted to Hear

Lies You Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson

The truth hurts. It is much easier to soften the blow by never revealing our innermost feelings to those we supposedly love. In this provocative debut novel by James Thomson, you will discover that ordinary people have the capability to resort to unimaginable acts that result in broken lives, all in the name of love.

Lucy meets Matt, a Boston cop, on a blind date set up by her dearest friend, Jill.  Immediately he is enthralled with this seductive, edgy, impulsive woman and begins to dream of building a life with her. Lucy finds Matt kind, dependable, and trustworthy. However, he isn't Griffin, the perennial bad boy she just can't let go. Matt knows of her affinity for drugs and alcohol, her affluent upbringing, and her dysfunctional parents. Maybe in time he can fill that void in her life, and she will stop her reckless behavior. Lucy knows of Matt's middle-class background, his steadfast love for his mother, and his self-righteousness. When she learns of her pregnancy, they decide to marry. Even though he knows of her ambivalence, Matt continues to live the fantasy of happily ever after.

Now years later, Lucy sits alone in her house, sifting through old photos of happier times. Her heart aches for the daughter and son that Matt kidnapped so long ago. The bitterness of divorce and child custody issues still haunt her. Matt, too, sits alone many miles away, unwavering in his belief that he did the right thing in taking the children away from an unfit mother. If they had to do it all over again, would they?

Alternating chapters allow the reader to hear the words of the two main characters over a span of over twenty years. You may think you have an allegiance with either Lucy or Matt. However, as new details are revealed, those intense opinions may just change. Lucy is constantly aware of what a "cruel companion" hope can be because it "never lets you grieve and be done with it". Matt, knowing their marriage was a lie, still struggles with the reality that he "never had a chance." Whose side will you choose? I think you will discover there are no winners here at all.

This is an absorbing, fascinating story about the frailty of human nature; an emotional roller coaster tale of how people unwittingly hurt one another with staggering results and a bittersweet ending.

Lucy says it best, "the lies you wanted to hear were the easiest ones to tell."