3. Emma tries to rescue Leanne from the fire. Would you have done the same?

4. After Emma has told Will about who she really is she tells him she’d rather he still called her Jane. Why do you think she did that?

5. At what point in the story do you think Daisy’s death could have been prevented?

6. When Emma reads Leanne’s emails she finds out that Leanne thinks she’s a pessimistic person who uses what happened to her in the past for her own gain. Do you agree with this?

7. How do you think Emma changes over the course of the book (both as Emma and as Jane)?

8. What did you think of the ending? Should it have ended differently?

9. The book explores female friendships and the fact that some friendships have under-currents of jealously, competitiveness and resentment running through them. Is this true of any of your friendships?

10. What other similar books would you recommend to people who enjoyed The Lie?

A Conversation With C.L. Taylor

A conversation with C.L. Taylor

1. What inspired you to write THE LIE?

I wrote THE LIE because I’ve always been fascinated by the nature of female friendships, in particular the dynamics of close knit groups of friends. Most of the time female friendships are healthy and supportive – you literally trust them “with your life” – but sometimes they’re not. Sometimes they’re much more toxic than they appear, with possessiveness, resentment, bitterness, competitiveness and envy lurking under the surface.

I wanted to write a story about a group of women who appear to get along well but whose friendship is riddled with issues that none of them are willing to confront. I was curious as to what would happen if I put those friends in a dangerous, crucible-type situation where they’re forced to trust each other in order to survive? Would they support each other, or turn on each other instead?

2. Did you include any of your own real life experiences in the novel?

Like the women in the novel I went to Nepal on a holiday of a lifetime. Unlike Emma and her friends I had the most amazing time and, if anything, stronger bonds were formed amongst my friendship circle as a result of our experience.

But I have also experienced friendships that weren’t healthy – friends who were effervescent, generous, spontaneous and fun but also unpredictable, competitive, possessive and argumentative. When someone like that is at the centre of your friendship group they can get away with antisocial behaviour because everyone is aware that, if they call them on it, they’ll be frozen out. That can make for a lot of tension, isolation and mistrust – sensations I hope my readers experience when they read THE LIE.

3. Your characters are so authentic. As a writer, how do you get into their psyche?