Andrew Hart’s novel, Lies That Bind Us, is a blend of mystery, diverse personalities and Greek mythology. A group of friends, some of whom met on the Greek island of Crete five years earlier, decide to reunite, but this time stay at an old castle-like mansion.
The group is an interesting blend of people, dissimilar in interests and financial status. The story is told in first person by Jan, a single woman. When she first met the group on Crete, she had been with Marcus, but this time he was with another woman and Jan is the only single person in the group of seven.
The story begins with Jan shackled in a dungeon-like dark room. She’s confused, not knowing how she got there, where she is, or why she is being held prisoner.
The story toggles between Jan in the dungeon and her trip to meet her friends on Crete. Early on, we learn that Jan is a pathological liar. She often lies about small, inconsequential things, issues that often don’t matter, but when exposed make people leery of her.
As the group again explores the region, we learn more about the individuals. One of the mysteries is why they’re even there, together–they apparently have little in common. Greek mythology plays an important part in both Jan and Marcus’ interest in the area, but means little to anyone else. Two of the couples are quite wealthy. In fact, the couple that invited the others have paid for the mansion they’re staying in for the week.
The gripping story takes us around Crete with its wild natural beauty and thousands of years of culture. But as the group explores, we begin to see flaws in their personalities. Tempers flare and questions arise that have no apparent answer.
As the plot moves forward with Jan in the dungeon recalling the group exploring Crete, the mystery thickens until both factors come to a head.
I enjoyed Lies That Bind Us and the unraveling insight to human behavior, and also the vicarious trip to Greece.
