After the death of
his mother, Dave Fazackerley receives a letter from her. In this letter, after describing
her pride and love for her son, she unlocks an old secret. From her death bed,
she reveals that she is not Dave’s biological mother, something her and his
father have failed to mention for the last forty something years. Distressed by
his mum’s death and confused by his father’s past, Dave sets out in search of
his biological mother. Meanwhile, he’s making a muddle of his personal life in
his attempts to win over his ex-wife Louise, and discovering that his parents
may not be the only people in his life who have lied to him.
Six
Lies is Ben
Adams’s second novel. It is, I suppose a rom com, with a side order of mystery.
I kept on thinking of Nick Hornby’s About
a Boy (although to my shame I haven’t read that, only seen the film), or
perhaps the film Run Fatboy Run. I’ve certainly seen more films like Six Lies than I have read books like it.
It felt like a gentle, funny, romantic comedy. Certain scenes – especially the
end – are very cinematic. It is dramatic, engaging, and funny – both through
Adams’s comedic narrator and, every now and then, at his expense. The book
certainly has its cheesy moments, but they are all knowingly and lovingly
written. The cliché is so completely embraced at points that you simply go with
it, and just when Adams has fooled you into thinking you know what’s coming, a
new development takes place. You can really tell that Adams is getting
beautifully immersed in his chosen genre, and thoroughly loving every word he
writes.
