“Of all the lies you tell yourself, perhaps the most common is that only if you do this or that, you will be accepted.” Mitch Albom, The Little Liar
Mitch Albom does it again in his latest book The Little Liar. Somehow, he continuously manages to capture complicated, universal themes through the power of storytelling. This story captures a particularly dark side of our world’s history – the Holocaust. But, through the lens of one boy who unknowingly tells a lie and the impact it has on the world around him. I do not want to spoil the ending for anyone who hasn’t had an opportunity to devour this little gem, but I can comfortably say this is an incredible story that retells a dark part of our world’s past and the aftermath of it, while also shedding light on human nature.
Why do we lie? How does one lie lead to another? At what point, do we lose ourselves in our lies? Justify it for some greater good, only to discover, at some point the truth will come out?
It is a story of love and loss, good and evil, victory, defeat, and redemption.
The world needs more Mitch Albom’s willing to tackle tough topics while acknowledging that life is messy – humans are well human – and that the line between good and evil is often blurred by good intentions.
I struggled to pick my favorite read of 2023 because of the 50+ books I read, there were a lot of wins. But ultimately, Albom wins out for his consistency in having me ponder huge, existential questions through the lives of a single human. I never quite know what to expect, which leaves me always wanting more. Also, as a former television journalist who strongly believes less is more in a book, his ability to pack so much story in such short novels, continues to impress me. Every word earns its right and place in his stories – a true art form.
I cannot wait to see what he has in store next!
If you enjoyed this and want to hear future book recs, please consider subscribing to my e-newsletter Rural Ramblings here.