3 out of 4 stars
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One Last Lie by Rob Kaufman
How well do you ever really know a person? This is the question that is posed to the reader of this novel. People are not always as you perceive them to be. Jonathan and Philip learn this the hard way when they enter into a binding agreement with a person they thought they knew well enough.
One Last Lie by Rob Kaufman is a fictional novel categorized under the C/T/M/H genre, more specifically a Psychological Thriller which will make the reader cringe in horror.
Jonathan and Philip are a couple who have been together for twelve years. They have a blissful and happy relationship. This all changes when Philip’s old friend Angela shows up. Angela and Philip used to be friends at university. However, this woman is greatly changed from the Angela that Philip used to know. At university, Angela used to be a depressed, greatly overweight person who drowned her sorrows in food.
This new Angela seems to have transformed into a bubbly, energetic, person who is fun to be with. Added to that, she is slim, beautiful and healthy looking. So when Angela puts a proposition to Philip and Jonathan, the deal seems to be in both of their favor. She wants a child, as she is nearly past her prime, but she needs a sperm donor. Philip and Jonathan have also always wanted a kid, so this seems like the perfect opportunity. It all seems to be too good to be true.
At the beginning, Jonathan is a bit suspicious of Angela, but he puts his doubts aside, thinking that perhaps he is being overly anxious. However, his doubts are not unfounded. Slowly Angela’s true personality and intentions are creeping out, and the situation seems like it can only end in disaster.
I found the character of Angela to be the most intriguing, from the person she was, to the person she becomes, as well as all her alternate personalities. She is an interesting figure, and it made me question why people such as Angela do the things that they do; although the flashback to her past does add some perspective to her situation and her messed up personality.
One of the themes in this novel is dependence. We see that people can either be dependent on material things, ideas or other people. This dependence allows them to be held under control. In this book, Angela’s friend June is one such person who is dependent on pills and on Angela as well. Tommy, who is in love with Angela, is also dependent on her. Jonathan, Philip and Angela have all entered into an agreement, and are dependent on each other for it to work; and Angela is dependent on an ideal idea she has in her head. Another thing is that the relationships and pursuit of relationships between the characters are important. This book does contain some aspects of romance, although this is not the main factor.
I found this book to be interesting, and I would rate this book a three out of four stars because I think that this is a well written novel which many people would enjoy reading. I did not give this book a higher rating because I think that there are certain parts which some sensitive people may find unbecoming and vulgar. As well as the fact that the character of Philip seems to be too nice to be true, his character is very flat as he doesn't seem to think bad or suspect anyone. I think this book will interest those who like to read books that keep them in intrigue, and those books in which the mental condition of a character is perused.
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One Last Lie
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