Necessary Lies

How it reads

Necessary Lies is historical fiction (historical social-justice fiction, specifically), and its dominant mood is melancholy. It's quietly sad, wistful and reflective. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in a rural setting, in the historical past, told across two timelines. Its central concerns are friendship, family and justice. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. At 368 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's well known, the kind of book most keen readers have heard of.