Justine's Reviews > The Lie Tree

There was a hunger in her, and girls were not supposed to be hungry. They were supposed to nibble sparingly at table, and their minds were supposed to be satisfied with a slim diet too.

The Lie Tree is set in Victorian era England, where 14 year old Faith and her family have recently left Kent for the small island of Vane. Faith's father, Reverend Erasmus Sunderly, is a renowned naturalist, and the family is ostensibly accompanying him on a trip to oversee the excavation of some usual fossils discovered in a cave on Vane. Faith learns rather quickly, however, that the real reason for the trip is that her father's scientific reputation is under fire, and as a result, the social standing of the family is in decline.

Faith doesn't fit into the structure that her family and society expect of her. She longs for knowledge, and recognising that it won't be given to her freely, learns that she must take what she needs on her own initiative. She desperately wants her father's love and approval, but it becomes increasingly clear that his image of what is appropriate for women cannot move beyond what has been so concretely moulded by his 19th Century sensibilities.

Listen, Faith. A girl cannot be brave, or clever, or skilled as a boy can. If she is not good, she is nothing.

Despite that slap in face, Faith remains steadfast in her loyalty to her father. So when he asks for her help with something he wants to keep secret, she readily agrees. It is only later, after things start to unravel, that Faith starts to question some of the things that she previously believed to be unshakeable truths about her family and also her place in the world.

This is a battlefield, Faith! Women find themselves on battlefields, just as men do. We are given no weapons, and cannot be seen to fight. But fight we must, or perish.

Being set in Victorian England makes The Lie Tree a slightly less fantastical tale than some of Hardinge's previous work, but her writing has lost none of its magic. It is both a mystery and a coming of age tale told with signature Hardinge style. While Cuckoo Song remains my favourite Hardinge book, I definitely recommend The Lie Tree.