In this video, I’ll summarize the plot of We Were Liars in about four minutes and give you an analysis of the story.
1. Summers on Beechwood Island
Cadence Sinclair Eastman, the novel’s protagonist, is a wealthy teenager from the prestigious Sinclair family. Every summer, her family gathers on their private island, Beechwood, off the coast of Massachusetts. She spends most of her time with her cousins Johnny and Mirren and her close friend Gat, who is also her love interest. The four of them, known as “the Liars,” are inseparable. However, despite their picture-perfect life, tensions simmer beneath the surface, particularly among the adults, who constantly fight over their inheritance and the approval of the family’s patriarch, Harris Sinclair.
2. Cadence’s Memory Loss
During the summer of Cadence’s fifteenth year, something terrible happens, but she cannot remember what. All she knows is that she suffered a traumatic brain injury, leading to debilitating migraines and memory loss. The family refuses to discuss what happened, only saying that she had an accident. When she returns to Beechwood two years later for summer seventeen, she struggles to piece together the events of that fateful summer. She reconnects with the Liars, who seem distant yet unchanged, and she slowly begins to suspect that the family is hiding something from her.
3. Cadence’s Search for the Truth
Determined to uncover the past, Cadence starts to recall fragmented memories. She remembers that the Sinclair family was divided over their grandfather’s estate, and she and the other Liars were frustrated with the greed and manipulation of the adults. As she spends more time on the island, she grows increasingly uneasy, sensing that something is not right. She questions her family members, but they evade her inquiries, deepening her confusion.
4. The Devastating Revelation
Through a series of flashbacks and conversations, Cadence finally pieces together the truth: during summer fifteen, she and the other Liars devised a reckless plan to burn down the main house as an act of rebellion against their family’s materialism and toxic power struggles. However, the plan went horribly wrong—Johnny, Mirren, and Gat were trapped inside and died in the fire. Cadence, who was meant to start the fire with them, had accidentally escaped, blocking out the traumatic event from her memory. The Liars she has been interacting with all summer were not real—they were hallucinations, manifestations of her guilt and grief.
5. Acceptance
Overwhelmed by the truth, Cadence finally comes to terms with what happened. She realizes that her amnesia was a way for her mind to protect her from the unbearable grief. As she acknowledges the deaths of Johnny, Mirren, and Gat, their ghostly presence fades, leaving her to face the reality of her loss. By the end of the novel, Cadence, though broken, finds a sense of closure, understanding that she must live with the consequences of her actions and move forward.
Theme 1: Memory and Self-Deception
One of the novel’s central themes is the unreliability of memory. Cadence’s fragmented recollections illustrate how trauma can distort and suppress the truth. Her amnesia is not just a medical condition but a psychological defense mechanism, shielding her from the unbearable reality of her actions. As she slowly uncovers the truth, the novel explores how people rewrite their own narratives to cope with pain and guilt. We Were Liars ultimately suggests that facing the truth, no matter how devastating, is the only way to heal.
Theme 2: The Illusion of Perfection
The Sinclair family presents themselves as wealthy, powerful, and elegant, but beneath their privileged exterior lies dysfunction, greed, and cruelty. The adults are obsessed with inheritance, willing to manipulate their own children to secure their place in the family’s wealth. The Liars, frustrated by this toxic environment, attempt to destroy what they see as the root of the problem, only to cause even greater tragedy. Through the Sinclairs, the novel critiques the illusion of perfection, revealing how privilege can blind people to their own flaws and lead to self-destruction.