I must admit it took me a while to get into this novel. I found it slightly confusing at first with the switching around in place and time. However I’m glad I stuck with it because by the end I couldn’t put my kindle down.
I won’t go into the plot as other reviewers have already done so but Fragile Lies deals with the aftermath of one tragic event, the hit and run of Killian. It’s not really a ‘who dunnit’ as the perpetrators are pretty easy to work out, but it’s a fantastic character study. I loved watching Virginia and Razor turn from punk rock wild childs to responsible business people. Lorraine and Adrian’s intense love affair falls apart but instead Lorraine rediscovers rural Ireland and so does the reader, the description of the countryside and weather etc is amazing.
What really holds the novel together for me however are the scenes at Killian’s bedside. A host of different characters interact with him from his devoted grandma to the hospital tea lady and you can feel him trying to respond, trying to communicate and return to his old life.
It is a bit of a slow burner and there aren’t a huge amount of twists and shocks but as a character driven novel it comes up trumps for me.
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Fragile Lies by Laura Elliot is an intriguing book. It starts out in Dublin with two people who are having an affair. One night they are out having illicit sex (not in the car but nearby). When they come back to the car it has been robbed. As they are leaving someone jumps in front of the car and they hit Killian. Because they are having an affair and do not want anyone to know, they leave the scene of the accident. But who were they?

Lorraine Cheevers is an artist and her life is changing. She is divorcing her husband, Adrian Strong of sixteen years and taking her daughter, Emily to Trabawn (near Kerry). Lorraine used to spend her childhood summers in Trabawn. Lorraine is grieving over her marriage. The only thing she wants to do is stay in bed. Lorraine has to find a way to move on and get back to her art.

Michael Carmody is a screen writer. His son, Killian is in a coma at the hospital. He was the victim of the accident. Michael is determined to find out who hurt is son. He has found a witness to the accident (not the most reliable witness) and based on that information, he thinks he has found the person who hurt his son. But what will Michael do when he finds them?

Virginia is Lorraine's cousin. They spent every summer together in Trabawn. Virginia grew up to be very wild, independent, and headstrong. She fell in love with Razor (Ralph) Blade. He was in a punk rock band until the movement ended. He is now in advertising. Virginia runs a public relations firm. Virginia was reluctant to marry Razor, but she did. Can she every be happy or will she always want more (someone else)?

The book takes us back through their lives and then leads us to who hurt Killian. This book was very long, but interesting. It was not until I was halfway through the book that I got really interested. Once I was hooked, I just kept reading. It is a good story. Very well-written. Do not assume who the two people having the affair were (based on the first half of the book) because you will end up being wrong! I ended up enjoying the book, but I was disappointed by the ending. I give Fragile Lies 4 out of 5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

"Michael Carmody is a writer whose son in a coma, fighting for his life. A result of a hit and run accident. He is desperate to find the people who left his son for dead. Lorraine Cheevers is an artist and mother whose life is destroyed by an illicit affair. When Michael and Lorraine cross paths, they will be shocked to find out they are already connected. They are connected by a web of lies. Fragile Lies" should be called "Brutal Lies" It is full of brutal lies that end up hurting innocent children. Michael's son and Lorraine's daughter suffer needlessly from the lies of the adults who are supposed to protect them. My heart broke when I read this. ( )