"Today, over 300 bloggers, including bestsellers, Emmy winners, movie
makers, and publishing houses have come together to talk about THE LIAR'S DIARY by Patry Francis
. Why? To give the book the attention it deserves on its release day while Patry takes the time she needs to heal from cancer." As quoted from LitPark (click here to continue reading a great piece on Patry Francis & her book)!
The Synopsis
How far would you go to protect your family? To
protect your children? How many lies would you tell? Would you dare to
admit the darkest truths - even to yourself?
Jeanne Cross is an
ordinary suburban wife and mother with a seemingly "perfect" life when
Ali Mather arrives on the scene, breaking all the rules and breaking
hearts.
Almost against her will, Jeanne is drawn to this powerfully
seductive woman, a fascination that soon begins to infect Jeanne's
husband as well as their teenage son. Though their friendship seems
unlikely and even dangerous to their mutual acquaintances, Ali and
Jeanne are connected by deep emotional needs, vulnerabilities, and
long-held secrets that Ali has been privately recording in her diary.
The
diary also holds the key to something darker. Though she can't prove
it, Ali is convinced someone has been entering her house when she is
not at home - and not with the usual intentions. What this burglar
wants is nothing less than a piece of Ali's soul.
From Publishers Weekly
A case study in the explosive
effects of extreme denial, Francis's debut relies completely on its
very unreliable narrator, with mixed results. When local violinist and
composer Ali Mather, a very sexy 46, comes to teach music at the
Bridgeway high school where narrator Jeanne Cross, a very plain 37, is
the secretary, teachers and students alike are abuzz. Ali is separated
from her mild husband George, and is soon sleeping with the 31-year-old
shop teacher, Brian Shagaury (and also with car dealer Jack
Butterfield). Jeanne is married to a buff orthopedic surgeon, Gavin,
with whom she has an overweight, dyslexic 16-year-old son, Jamie, who
attends the school. An unlikely friendship develops between the
seemingly steady Jeanne and acting-out Ali, and Jeanne's purposefully
flat narration is effective in doling out disorienting incongruities
(as in the offhanded way Jeanne develops a serious pill habit). Ali's
provocative lifestyle eventually intersects directly with Jeanne's home
life. When tragedy strikes, Jeanne's Stepford routine holds for a
while, then becomes a giveaway. (Feb.)
Biography
"What if you worked for years as a waitress and then went home at the
end of the day to your husband and four kids, and in those rare minutes
of free time, you dared to dream that one day you might write a book?
This is the story of my friend, Patry - a story that leaves out years
of false starts, revisions, and rejection slips. It's a story that
writers know intimately, though the details are different. Every one of
us is well acquainted with the struggle of getting a story on paper, of
honing it and believing in it enough to send it out, only to receive
rejection, or worse, silence for our efforts.
Imagine, after many years, you beat the odds. You finish that book.
You find that agent who sells your manuscript. Your dream is about to
become a reality. But just as your book is due to be released, you
discover you have an aggressive form of cancer.
Patry's story struck such a deep chord with many of us, not just
because she is our friend, but because those of us who know her or read her blog
have relied on her company through the ups and mostly downs of trying
to write and sell a book. She is our buoy. She has shown us time and
again her great gift for shedding light in the dark. Even her blog post about her cancer showed this - in her greatest time of need, she was still somehow comforting all of us and showing us glimpses of joy." As quoted from LitPark
Patry Francis's poetry and short stories have
appeared in the Tampa Review, Colorado Review, Ontario Review, and The
American Poetry Review, among other publications. She is a three-time
nominee for the Pushcart Prize and has twice been the recipient of the
Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant. The Liar's Diary is her first
novel. Please visit the author's website at patryfrancis.com or her
blog, Simply Wait.
