Would I Lie to You?

Would I Lie to You by Aliya Ali-Afzal Head of Zeus

Faiza Saunders is a British woman of Pakistani heritage who has been married to Tom, a white British man for twenty years. They have three children and she’s a stay-at-home mum. They’re a happy family and the pair are still very much in love. Then Tom loses his job and wants Faiza to move some money from the emergency fund to the main account so they don’t end up in arrears. The problem is Faiza has been sneaking money from that account for years and it’s essentially empty. Faiza panics and the lies start coming more and more frequently as she tries to fix the mess she has made without hurting those she loves.

I really like this book but I will admit it was difficult reading at times. From fairly early on, I really felt all the anxiety along with Faiza as she got herself deeper and deeper into her deception. While I could understand how she got to that state it was so frustrating when she kept digging that hole a bit deeper as the story went on. The tension was immense through most of the story and sometimes I found myself putting the book aside because I was almost dreading what was going to happen next. But I persisted and I’m glad I did. Despite her flawed thinking, Faiza is a strong woman and she just keeps going even as her situation continues to become more desperate. She pulls herself up and rejoins the job market, a pretty monumental feat after being outside of that arena for so many years. She does have some false starts but she quickly learns from them and success is soon within reach.

I really appreciated seeing a mixed culture relationship here with the good and the bad. When religion forms another part it can complicate it even more. But the writer does a lovely job of trying to reflect those positive and negatives. After all, love is love.

What the writer has done here best is show how we humans all have our faults and we make poor decisions at times, often for misguided reasons. Although the story is centered on Faiza, it’s clear that hers are not the only lies being told, and it’s clear that even smaller deceptions can have a significant impact on others. Along the way, we see how Faiza’s choices have been formed through her experiences growing up. Issues like family conflict, racism, class, and culture have formed her ways of thinking and she feels like she has no choice but to do things as she has. But through her experiences here, she does develop her thinking in ways that hopefully will guide her better for future choices in life.

What I saw as the other major theme is job loss and depression, particularly with middle-aged men. Tom seems to be reasonably well-adjusted but he spirals into some really difficult times as he deals with losing his job and much of his identity.

This was a great book and I give it four stars. I would like to thank Netgalley and Head of Zeus for providing an advanced reader copy for free. This review is completely voluntary.