What I Saw and How I Lied

by Judy Blundell

This is a classic coming of age story set in post-World War II Palm Beach, Florida. Evie and her mom and step-father, just home from the war, leave their New Jersey home for a celebratory trip to Palm Beach. Evie, nearly 16, believes herself to be a plain, awkward girl, and constantly compares herself to her knock-out gorgeous mother Beverly. But while in Florida, Evie falls for a handsome GI who shows up to see her step-father Joe. Peter is friendly and kind to Evie, and she begins to believe that she can make Peter see her own beauty. It is obvious that there is tension between Joe and Peter for reasons that Evie can't quite understand. Evie is naive and inexperienced and completely misreads what is going on right under her nose. When Peter is mysteriously killed in a boating accident with her parents, and Joe comes under suspicion, Evie learns that she has never really known the people who are closest to her. In the period of a few days, she grows up, learns some of the truth and realizes what she has to do to protect her world. Evie Spooner will never be the same again. What I Saw and How I Lied is the 2009 National Book Award Winner. --reviewed by Dail Sams