num_pages: 146
description: A physician watches by the bedside of his son, who is stricken with diphtheria. Ordinarily he is too busy for introspection, but now the isolation forced upon him releases to the surface of his mind a traumatic experience from his own childhood, linked also to illness---a crime committed by his parents. Family ties appear as family lies, sustained by hypocrisy, fear---and love. Simenon's mastery shows in the vividness of the pictures arising out of a long-buried memory, which stand out in the light of true flashes of recognition. The past as resuscitated in the claustrophobic sickroom atmosphere has a haunting quality, an eerie suspense. This is a remarkable study of family relationships, destructive and constructive, and of a father's unspoken communication with a beloved, threatened child.-from book flap
language: English
title: The Family Lie
titlecomplete: The Family Lie
genres: Fiction, Mystery
ratings_count: 49
publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich