(This is the Dutch edition of What I saw and how I lied)
World War II has ended. The fifteen year old Evie Spooner and her family are living in Queens New York. A few weeks before school starts, her father Joe (who just returned from serving in the war) takes Evie and her mom on a vacation to Palm Beach, Florida.
When they arrive there, most hotels are closed up because of the off-season. They land in a little hotel called Le Mirage, where they soon meet the other hotel guests, Mr and Mrs Grayson, and the two families who both have in common that they are from New York, become friends.
Evie also meets Peter, a handsome guy, and it seems he has only eyes for her, and they secretly start dating.
As it turns out Peter and Evie’s father has known each other in the war. Peter soon becomes a part of Evie’s life, and her family’s life. He joins them for dinner on a regular basis and begins to take Evie and her mother for daily drives.
As Evie’s relationship is progressing with Peter so is her father’s relationship with Mr. Grayson. Joe and Mr. Grayson decide to go into business together by buying the hotel where they are staying. However, the current hotel manager finds out that the Graysons are Jewish and asks them to leave.
Soon Evie and Peter are caught kissing by Evie's mom. She gets furious and Evie is not allowed to see Peter again for her own good will. But is this the real reason Beverly gets angry?
Then Joe, Beverly and Peter go out for a boat ride, ignoring the hurricane announcements. And this is the start of the unfolding of some tragic and serious looking events which involve all of them..
To be honest, I had higher expectations of this book. Especially after I had read raving reviews of it. But somehow it wasn't working, and I ended it with a few questions and confusings, like some unimportant one: One moment the house of the family was in Brooklyn, I once thought New Yersey, and I ended up in..Queens?? Is this just my confusement or isn't something like just one place where the Spooners are living? And somehow the title didn't work for me, I didn't get the point of what it had to do with the story.
I thought this was a very serious novel, which you have to be in the mood for the get through it.
Overall okay, not my most favourite ya novel in the world, certainly not bad.
