#penguin platform

[justzawe]

Zawe spoke at The Times Education Commission today

[nocaptainreuben]

Who Would You Believe?

One Of Us Is Lying was a book that intrigued me, but wasn’t too high on my list of priorities when it first came out. Yet when I saw how many people were raving about it, that quickly changed, and knowing that it was up for discussion on this week’s #SundayYA Twitter chat, I finally caved and got myself a copy. And now I know what everyone was talking about.

When ‘a geek, a jock, a criminal, and a princess’ find themselves in detention together under suspicious circumstances, they never thought it would change their lives so drastically. But fellow detainee Simon Kelleher is killed by someone in that room, and suddenly these four students are the only suspects in a murder case. In the weeks that follow, their lives are turned upside down; secrets are spilled, friends are both made and lost, and the group are put through hell with police questioning and relentless media coverage. And whilst they find some solace in each other as they go through this trauma, they’re always left to wonder: which one of us is lying?

From the descriptions bandied about, it’s clear that the book is basically The Breakfast Club with murder, so obviously we’re onto a winner there. But before I even get on to the story itself, can we just appreciate the physical book itself? That simple design, that foil lettering, those sprayed edges! *drools and basically turns into the hearts-for-eyes emoji* I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and all, but if ever I was to be convinced to read a book purely by looking at it, I think this is the one.

The book comes from a very simple idea; it’s basically a locked-room murder mystery, so the entire premise of the book is working out who did it. But whilst there’s nothing revolutionary in the plot, what makes a book like this good is the quality of the writing, the depth to the characters, and the creativity in the twists. And Karen M. McManus has all of this in spades.

Because the narrative switches between each character’s point of view, you end up sympathising with all of them. Whilst you’re trying to work out theories for who the murderer is, there’s always a sense of 'well it can’t be them, because they were so shocked by this thing, or so upset by that thing' etc – they all seem pretty trustworthy and likeable. But then, there are so many little flickers of moments dotted throughout, where a character will do or say something which makes you doubt yourself and suspect them. It feels like you’re well and truly kept on your toes and constantly guessing and rethinking your theories. In fact, it was so expertly written in this way, that I guessed the killer really early on, yet still spent the entire book thinking I had no idea who it was! I thought my theory was quite unlikely anyway, but then as the book went on, things happened which convinced me that it was impossible for it to have gone down like I thought, so I went back to the drawing board and felt well and truly fooled (but in a very satisfying way) when it turned out to be the first person I’d suspected.

Something other than the suspense and mystery that I particularly loved, was how three dimensional the characters were. They were all so individual and complex, and they weren’t only suspects in a murder case, but athletes, students, siblings, friends, partners and so much more. Believe it or not, the case wasn’t necessarily the biggest thing going on in each of their lives and I loved how it explored their entire lives and identities in that way, rather than solely focusing on Simon’s death. As well as making it much more interesting to read, this look at all the real problems going on in these normal students’ lives perfectly illustrated the kind of pressures that teenagers nowadays are under, and how big everything feels at that age – whether that be bad grades, family struggles, relationship drama, or your classmate dropping dead in front of you.

All in all, One Of Us Is Lying is an absolutely perfect YA thriller, which hooks you right from the start and refuses to let go. Whether you’re a seasoned CSI watcher like me, or brand new to the genre of thrilling murdery goodness, I’m pretty sure this book will be a winner no matter what.

[justzawe]

https://www.penguin.co.uk/campaigns/lit-in-colour/students/creative-student-prize.html

[justzawe]

Zawe Ashton during the Penguin Talks livestream - 11/17/2020

[justzawe]

Penguin Talks in Partnership with Speakers for Schools

DATE: Thursday 11th Feb

TIME: 14:00 – 15:00

YEAR GROUP: KS4 – 5 / S4 – 6

Lit in Colour: Why Empire is Relevant Today, with Sathnam Sanghera and Zawe Ashton

Award-winning author and journalist, Sathnam Sanghera, joins actress, playwright and director Zawe Ashton, to discuss the impact of Empire on modern Britain, its absence from the school curriculum and why it’s relevant to young people today.

[justzawe]

Zawe’s IG story - 11/16/2020

[justzawe]

https://youtu.be/EJZO7Cy1ELE

In this talk, Caleb and Zawe will be discussing the power and importance of representation in literature, poetry and theatre, and in the books students read and study in school.

[justzawe]

I don't know if you got my ask about this, but 2.30pm GMT, Zawe is on Penguin Platform talking about representation in books with Caleb Femi.

Thank you! Yay, new content tomorrow!