Two New York artists’ tumultuous friendship gets turned on its head when one of them goes
missing and the other may be to blame. A riveting debut novel for readers of Bunny Luckiest
Girl Alive and “Who Is the Bad Art Friend?” “I hope I never have a friendship like this but
Laura Leffler makes it gripping to read about.” —Lisa Jewell "Taut dark and beautifully
written.” —Andrea Bartz Anna had never met anyone like Willow. Entering art school with lofty
ideas about Art and her role in it Anna was wholly unprepared for someone as mysterious
moody—and cool —as Willow. Here was Anna’s muse and collaborator all in one ready to bring her
in on Art’s great secrets. Now five years later Anna is weary. Where art school was
boundless creativity and collaboration the New York art scene is all about survival. Worse:
Willow’s true nature as a muse only to herself has become nakedly apparent as has her cruelty.
So the mugging Anna has staged for Willow this morning? It’s supposed to send Willow running
back to her true friend. The knife is supposed to be a mirror in which this ‘artist’ can
finally see the monster she’s become. It’s supposed to give Anna her power back. But this
morning isn’t just any Tuesday. It’s September 11 2001. And as the city reels from the seismic
events of that day Willow never returns home. Anna keeps quiet about the prank and her growing
panic that she’s to blame for Willow’s disappearance. But as the hours and days tick by Anna
begins to question whether she’s the mastermind she thought she was or the pawn.
Alternating between the friends' art school tenure and their lives in 2001 New York Tell Them
You Lied reveals how difficult the search for answers is when you'd rather have anything but
the truth.
