At the Speed of Lies

Quinn’s junior year has not started as well as she would have liked. Her older sister has become more remote, obsessed with grades and extra-curricular activities and her best friend, Ximena, has become inseparable from her boyfriend, Max, leaving Quinn feeling like a spare part.. She is also trying to boost her following on her Instagram account, The Whine. When two children go missing, the school bully, Cade, seems to be at the forefront of fundraising for Defend Kids, an organisation which claims to fight against child trafficking. Challenged by Cade, Quinn posts about the missing children. Initially overjoyed at the popularity of her account, things quickly start to spiral out of control as her followers skyrocket, spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories.

Completely absorbing, ‘At the Speed of Lies’ is a thought provoking, slightly unsettling read with much to recommend it. It shows how quickly ‘urban legends’ escalate and become fact, with social media playing a huge role in the speed at which they spread. The story challenges readers to consider the validity of the information they receive and question whether they should accept this at face value. The author’s note at the end, explaining their background in this area, is very interesting.

But there is more to the story than this. Quinn is an excellent character who learns much about herself over the course of the book and through her eyes, the reader learns much about the experiences of those with her condition, feeling empathy and hopefully, adjusting their behaviour accordingly. The story also shows how an increased following, post likes and comments can become addictive and affect people’s feelings of self-worth. Real life friendships and real connections are far more important.

I have no wish to spoil the story for anyone else by revealing too much, but highly recommend that everyone reads it!

At the Speed of Lies Cindy L Otis

Scholastic ISBN: 978-0702329524