A Book Of Untruths

Miranda Doyle

Miranda Doyle faces up to some of the ghosts in her family’s past and a difficult childhood in this witty and engaging memoir. The Scottish writer tells the story of her life through a series of lies, while exploring the wider human nature to fib. One of four children, she grew up in Edinburgh and endured a harsh, and at times harrowing, upbringing, left scarred by boarding school and a volatile family life. Each short chapter looks at the lies told either to, or by, Doyle and those around her and builds up a picture of her life through the themes of love, marriage and family. While often veering towards self-therapy, it is not a self-pitying account and Doyle’s humour and honesty make it a refreshingly original debut. 8/10