Book Review

I just finished reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. It was a great book, although I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. It is a book-lover's book for starters. It's the story of an amateur biographer (really amateur) who is asked by the most popular writer in England to write her life story. This writer is a complete mystery. No one knows her true past. The story that unfolds is heartbreaking and intriguing. The reason I wouldn't recommend it to everyone is there is quite the dysfunctional family in it, and some content might be a little uncomfortable to some. There is no swearing (if there is, I don't remember it which means it's minimal and minor). Through hearing this story, the biographer (narrator) learns a lot about herself and as a reader you learn about love, family, commitment, and the power of lies. The writer has a theory that the truth is too harsh; that when you are having a hard time, a good lie is more soothing and better than the truth. Yet, you come to find that, as soothing as the lies are, the truth is what really sets her free, as painful as it is. Some interesting ideas for sure.