Structure/Length: 30 chapters plus epilogue; approx. 259 pages; approx. 10 hours, 45 minutes on audio
Protagonist and Central Conflict: Narrated from multiple perspectives, this novel describes the events that unfold after the mysterious death of a high school student who collapses after drinking a glass of water. The four other students who were serving detention with him at the time become suspects as the details of their lives are exposed via social media and the police investigation.
Potential Sensitivity Issues: Death of teenager; drug and alcohol addiction; suicide; bullying; school shootings; sexuality; identity
Karen M. McManus, Author
Bio: Born in 1969 in Massachusetts, where she still lives; graduated with a master’s degree in journalism from Northeastern University; wrote two practice novels before publishing One of Us Is Lying; applies her journalism skills to identify and fix holes in her fictional plots; has written two more books in the One of Us Is Lying trilogy, which has been adapted as a television series
Other Works:Two Can Keep a Secret (2019); The Cousins (2020); You’ll Be the Death of Me (2021); Nothing More to Tell (2022)
Awards: Entertainment Weekly Best YA Book of the Year (2017); YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction Book (nominee, 2018); YALSA Teens’ Top Selection (2018); YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2018)
Unlock this Study Guide!
Join SuperSummary to gain instant access to all 93 pages of this Study Guide and thousands of other learning resources.