“O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” (Walter Scott). This is very much the quote that came to mind as I read Sarah Marie Graye’s novel about relationships, friendship and social connections, The Victoria Lie (When is a Lie a Lifeline? The Butterfly Effect Book 2). Graye introduces us to Zoe, who has decided to end her life, but doesn’t want the messiness and angst of her best friend and flat-mate, Alison, having to find her dead body. She comes up with a plan that will effectively end her life, but will take upward of a week to finally effect its poison on her body. This will give her the chance, as she lies dying in her hospital bed, to square things away with both Alison and her boyfriend, James. Graye takes us on a journey of social connections and the tenuous, yet strangely, incredibly strong bonds that link us as human beings. She explores the wide-ranging effects, well beyond the two protagonists, of lies and half truths and the long term and long lasting effects these can have on even the sturdiest of relationships, such as family. As Zoe lies “dying,” the people in her life are already maneuvering around her, building new relationships, and she realizes they are actually replacing her in their lives right in front of her eyes.

The Victoria Lie is what may have been called in Victorian times a novel of manners or even a comedy of manners. There are certainly plenty of parts of the story where Sarah Marie Graye displays an accurate and piercing acerbic wit that had me chuckling along at the protagonist. What I particularly liked about this story was the author’s ability to convey both the fragility and the strength of relationships and friendships in a mere paragraph. This juxtaposition of opposite ideas was fascinating to me and is best portrayed in the relationship between Alison and her childhood friend, Ruby. The interplay between Zoe and her hospital visitors, some of whom she barely knew, was cleverly done and a reminder to me, as a reader, just how difficult it is to be honest and straightforward when visiting a friend whom you know is dying. The long, drawn-out pauses and meaningless chatter will resonate with many readers. The writer’s style is free, easy and conversational, which made the book a joy to read and a quick read at that. If you like expository novels that examine real life and social conventions, I am sure you will enjoy this story. Its honesty was a breath of fresh air for this reader.

The Victoria Lie by Sarah Marie Graye is the second book in The Butterfly Effect series, preceded by The Second Cup. Reading it as a standalone, this installment immediately introduces the main character, Zoe, as she's in the London Underground, waiting for an overdose of drugs she's taken in an attempted suicide to kick in. Her best friend, Alison, and her boyfriend, James, arrive at the hospital, along with a hanger-on named Tori (as in Victoria), who is bent on making sure Alison becomes her own best friend and James is lined up as her future boyfriend...but for Tori's plan to work, Zoe really does need to end her life.

The Victoria Lie is an interesting look into various forms of mental illness through first person narratives from Sarah Marie Graye's multiple characters. This book certainly falls into the genre of literary fiction, with unconventional formatting and pacing that moves forward on a steady simmer. The writing is crisp and clean, and Graye is an unquestionably gifted author. “She was thankful she was wrong about the niggling doubts. She was even more relieved to be right about the second thoughts. Because the morning after was too late for either.” This is definitely a character-driven story. Zoe might be driving the bus but Tori seems to be steering it. Along the way, Graye exposes the cruelty of mental illness and the frailty of the human spirit. I'd recommend this book to those who are comfortable with stories that dive into difficult situations, characters, and plots, and who enjoy a shorter read with a bit more depth to it.