If you are reading this, I’m hoping you have also read We Were Liars by E Lockhart. If not, run like the wind to my spoiler-free review before it’s too late. Or proceed and spoil yourself. Either way, I’m not holding back because I had way too much fun working on this post. I’m diving deeply into the story and answering the question once and for all: were the Liars ghosts or hallucinations?

When I finished reading We Were Liars for the first time, I wanted to read it again to see everything I missed and if there was any “proof” of what the Liars were. That reread took 5 years to come, but it’s here. So I opened the book with a pencil in hand and underlined anything and everything I saw relevant to the plot, the characters, and the Liars.

In my original review (no longer published), I speculated that the Liars were dreams. So neither ghosts nor hallucinations. To be honest, I don’t remember believing in that, but after reading my original review, I guess that was the option I liked the most. Cadence often spent days sleeping. She lost track of time whenever she had big headaches. She was heavily medicated. So it wasn’t an unfounded theory. I just needed to establish a timeline when she was with the Liars and mentioned having headaches, being heavily medicated or asleep. But that theory quickly fell to the ground. So we are back to the only two options. Were the Liars ghosts or hallucinations?

Note: the book I own is the Portuguese edition. In order to have the quotes in English, I’m searching them in Google Books, and the page number is from there as well.

Some hints the Liars are hallucinations

If I was only given two options, hallucinations would always be my answer. I’m not a fantasy reader, so I prefer realistic explanations instead of supernatural ones. And since Cadence was heavily medicated to help manage her headaches, it’s not unreasonable to think her mind was making things up. The original story Cadence tells about Summer 15 is that she went swimming in the ocean alone and hit her head. Something later we know didn’t happen. And despite her mother telling her time and time again the truth, she would always go back believing she hit her head while swimming. So, her brain is repressing all the memories from that summer and creating new ones to deal with the trauma.

She persisted in believing she had injured her head while swimming.

ch. 80 p. 202

Ghosts can come in many shapes and forms, but usually, a universal truth about them is that they can’t be touched, right? So, on that note, there are multiple instances throughout the story where Cadence touched the Liars. Hallucinations aren’t physical either, but the mind can produce the entire scene and add sensory information. I think.

Suddenly they are on me like puppies. Mirren grabs me and spins me. Johnny grabs Mirren, Gat grabs Johnny, we are all grabbing each other and jumping.

ch. 25 p. 67

There is also mention of the behaviour and appearance of the Liars to be as it was in the past. Some are specific to Summer 15, which could be in favour of the ghosts’ argument since they would stay as they were when they died. But others are more broad and express a pattern of behaviour Cadence remembers them having, so it’s only natural her brain would project that.

It is a whirlwind, all of them talking over each other, arguing happily, exactly like old times.

ch. 25 p. 68

They look the same. Gat in a worn green T-shirt from two summers ago.

ch. 25 p. 69

(…) we have snorkelled at the tiny beach, always.

ch. 26 p. 71

We just lie there. Holding hands. He rubs my palm with his thumb like he did two summers ago beneath the stars.

ch. 26 p. 73

“I remember how you [Cadence] used to always search for purple rocks when we were little.”

ch. 31 p. 83

We head there and walk the way we did as children, Gat in front and me behind.

ch. 32 p. 85

Whenever Cadence is with the rest of the family, she rarely mentions the Liars. If I’m not mistaken, there is only one instance she mentions them when she’s talking to her little cousins. And they quickly change the subject because they know they can’t speak about them. However, there’s an instance when Bonnie and Liberty are mentioned by Mirren accusing them of being kleptomaniacs and stealing sleeping pills which is something Cadence couldn’t know about. However, this interaction happens after Taft says Bonnie and Liberty were in her room without authorisation and saw her pills.

“Bonnie and Liberty are disasters. I think they’re kleptomaniacs now.” “Really?” “They took my mom’s sleeping pills and also her diamond hoops.”

ch. 38 p. 100

“Bonnie saw pills in your bedroom.” (…) “Bonnie went through my stuff?” “ And Liberty.”

ch. 34 p. 92

Cadence later mentions Bonnie and Liberty again as possibly being stilling her pills again. Although she isn’t sure if perhaps she is the one taking more pills than she remembers. She mentions multiple times feeling in a haze whenever she is in much pain and only goes to Cuddledown when she feels better. So I’m assuming she’s drugged out of her mind when she goes to see the Liars. The perfect combination to see things that aren’t there.

The pills in my bottle are getting low (…) I wonder if Mummy is taking them. (…) Or maybe the twins have been coming to my room again (…) Or maybe I am taking more than I know. Popping extra in a haze of pain. Forgetting my last dose. (…)When I feel stable I come to Cuddledown again.

ch. 51 p. 133

(…) I’m high on Percocet half the time (…)

ch. 41 p. 109

I open my eyes and Gat stands over me. I see him through a haze. (…)” I had a girlfriend, two summers ago.” “I know. I knew all along.” “ But I never told you” (…) I’m sorry, Cady” (…) It is nice to hear him say that. I wish I weren’t so high.

ch. 52 pp. 135-136

Many conversations Cadence have with the Liars can go either way. They seem to be hallucinations by talking about things Cadence knows about and moments later about things she doesn’t remember. So are they ghosts laying clues out for her to pick up the pieces or is her brain trying to unlock those memories tucked away? In some instances, it seems clear they must be hallucinations. Mirren mentions how good it feels to be back on the island when she, as a ghost, would live on the island forever. But then correcting that. The Liars talk about Cadence’s lack of memory with the same words her mother used as being doctor’s orders. And they even briefly mention the accident she believes caused her headaches. Although, as ghosts, they should know she never hit her head. But her brain could be trying to reason with her, like a voice of consciousness.

“It’s so amazing to be on the island!” she [Mirren] says. “I can’t believe I’m here again!” “You were here last summer.” “It wasn’t the same. (…) I kept looking for you but you never came.”

ch. 31 p. 81

Johnny stares at me oddly. “You don’t remember?” “Her memory is messed up, Johnny!” yells Mirren. “She doesn’t remember like half our summer fifteen.” (…) “I told you what Aunt Penny said.” (…) I’m surprised Mummy told you,” I go on. “She hates talking about it.” “She said you’re supposed to take it easy and remember things in your own time.”

ch. 35 p. 94

“What if she hurts her head again, and her migraines get even worse?”

ch. 54 p. 139

Whenever a conversation goes on to something Cadence doesn’t remember, the Liars backtrack a little, and more often than not, they don’t continue. The most common excuse is the “you need to remember on your own”, but other times, it feels like they don’t know either.

“The time we went out on that flat rock?” I step away. Because I don’t remember.” (…) “No” I answer. “It must have slipped my mind.” “We were- You and I, we – It was an important moment.”

ch. 32 p. 86

Since it’s Cadence telling the story, a lot of her thoughts and interactions speak volumes of her personality more than anything. As the story progresses, more and more is shown about who she was and who she is. At first, she seems to be more grounded after the “accident”. But later in the story, it seems she’s still the same person she was before. And I don’t know if a lot of the interactions she has with the Liars aren’t just a manifestation of her personality. I would even go as far as saying it’s her growing a conscience, but take that with a grain of salt.

“You say don’t feel sorry for you, but then you tell a story about the base of the toilet,” she [Mirren] blurts. “It’s seriously pitiful. What are we supposed to say?” “Also, going to Rome makes us jealous,” says Gat. “None of us has been to Rome.”

ch. 36 P. 96

“(…) it’s clear you want everyone to feel sorry for you. And we would, I would, but you have no idea how lucky you are.”

ch. 49 p. 128

Towards the end, the Liars seem to be lying about random things. They seem to be exaggerating events and facts about their lives. While that’s a very strange interaction, it could be explained as Cadence projecting her personality or finding excuses to blame them, since she gets angry whenever she catches them lying. Despite Cadence saying she loves them, she loves herself more, the reason why they are dead. And I can’t avoid thinking that perhaps she even blames them for dying that day when it was her fault. But she is too egotistical to acknowledge that. And so sometimes she projects them as the bad guys allowing her to pout for being left behind. Or they could be ghosts imagining a life they can’t have anymore.

They never go anywhere. Ever. Never see anyone. Now while I’ve been sick, they went everywhere, saw everyone? (…) Why are they lying?

ch. 51 p. 135

Hints the Liars are ghosts

Let’s start with the most obvious one.

“Cuddledown is haunted,” Says Taft.

ch. 22 p. 58

Cadence’s young cousins are the only ones that shed some light on the Liars while the rest of the adults simply ignore their existence or the lack of it. Cadence sees Bonnie reading a book about ghosts and learns she has been “obsessed with dead things” (ch. 24 p. 67). When Mirren accuses Bonnie and Liberty of being kleptomaniacs, she confesses trying to talk to Bonnie, but she didn’t listen. Maybe Mirren chose to speak with Bonnie because her interest in the supernatural and dead things could make it easier to create a connection.

Bonnie reads a book called Collective Apparitions: Fact and Fiction.

ch. 34 p. 90

“Did you call them on it?” [Bonnie and Liberty stealing a pair of diamond hoops from their mother] “I tried with Bonnie. But they’re beyond my help.” Mirren says.

ch. 38 p. 101

Another indication that the Liars aren’t a product of Cadence’s mind is a big conversation she has with Gat towards the end of the book. In it, Gat is talking about how he feels like an outsider. How he is treated in that family and always will be even if Cadence doesn’t see it. He talks about his house in New York that Cadence never saw, about Ginny and Paulo, two workers on the island Cadence doesn’t know their names. He even compares himself to a character in Wuthering Heights, a book Cadence says she never read. Unless her brain was coming up with lies to fill in these gaps and to bring to light the prejudice Gat felt but was never acknowledged, which is still possible, this was most likely ghost Gat opening her eyes.

“You’ve never met my mom. You’ve never been to my apartment.” That’s true. I’ve never seen Gat anywhere but Beechwood.

ch. 39 p. 103

As I’ve mentioned before, most conversations between Cadence and the Liars can be interpreted both ways. And while I like the idea that those conversations are projections of her personality, I also find that hard to believe. Cadence is so egotistical and self-centred that her mind can’t be so self-critical for her to realise some things about herself on her own. In a way, it’s more plausible the Liars are ghosts and are dropping hints for her to stop pitting herself than her mind being self-conscious.

“You have a life stretching out in front of you with a million possibilities, (…) it grates on me when you ask for sympathy” (…) He is right. (…) But he also doesn’t understand.

ch. 49 p. 129

The nail in the coffin, Mirren is getting sick. The first time Mirren shows any symptoms is when they go to Edgartown. She’s feeling very sick and needs to go back to Cuddledown. She continues to be mildly sick for the rest of the book, and when Cadence remembers everything, Gat and Johnny are also starting to feel something. As ghosts, they are probably tied down to Cuddledown and more broadly to the island, since they still do other activities on the island outside of Cuddledown and never feel sick.

Suddenly Mirren starts choking. Gagging, like she might vomit. Bending over at the waist, her skin damp and pale. “You okay?” “No” (…) I did too much. I need to get back to Cuddledwon. Now. (…)”

ch. 44 p. 118

Mirren felt sick and Johnny took her downstairs for some tea.

ch. 49 p. 127

Mirren has been getting ill more and more often.

ch. 50 p.130

However, that doesn’t explain why they need to go away. If they are ghosts and haunting the island, why did Cadence have to find out the truth for them to be free? Did they need her to recognise her crime so they could go? Were they coming from the afterlife specifically to help her remember, and that’s why it started to affect them to be in the world of the living again? Or was that just her mind slowly breaking their illusion as Cadence learned more and more of what happened that summer?

Were the Liars ghosts or hallucinations?

So, what’s the verdict? Neither. And here’s why. When rereading We Were Liars, I came to a realisation. Everything is a lie. Nothing Cadence says can be trusted, and so nothing can be taken as truth. I always knew Cadence was an unreliable narrator, but I thought it was because of her amnesia. Although that’s not the reason. While rereading, I could see in the middle of all the metaphors, self-pity, heavy medication, and stories with kings and princesses, that Cadence never tells the full story. So much it’s hidden. There isn’t a continuation from chapter to chapter. There are gaps in the story. And in those unknown moments, the story becomes ambiguous.

Right when Cadence first arrives at the island, and we see the dead Liars for the first time, there’s only a mention of them there. Cadence and her mother arrive at the dock. The Liars are in the back at the fence. She talks to the rest of the family, and there’s a chapter break. Cadence is with her mother at Windemere. The Liars aren’t mentioned again. No mention of waving at them, of seeing them stay there or walk away, not asking about them. Nothing. No one else mentions the Liars, and neither does Cadence. In the next paragraph, it’s as if they don’t exist.

(…) suddenly I can see my Liars waiting, not on the dock, but by the weathered wooden fence that runs along the perimeter path.

ch. 23 p. 64

The Liars don’t come to the dock when we pull in (…)

ch. 24 p. 65

While Cadence is the narrator, this lack of information is not only her fault. The rest of the Sinclair family also can’t be trusted. They are taught to behave as if everything is perfect and normal all the time.

Welcome to the beautiful Sinclair family. No one is a criminal. No one is an addict. No one is a failure.

ch. 1 p. 3

They hide themselves. They hide their emotions. And so they lie. Even with each other. They aren’t truthful. They pretend the problems don’t exist, that pain doesn’t exist, and so they stay silent. That’s the biggest reason why she was kept away from Beechwood and why no one talked about her “accident”. It wasn’t for her good, it was because that’s what they do. They ignore the pain. And Cadence amnesia could even be a reaction to that. To a life of constant reminders to avoid painful memories.

Silence is a protective coating over pain. (…) I behaved as if those two critical people [grandmother and father] had never existed. The rest of the Sinclairs did the same.

ch. 11 p. 29

The ultra-rare moments Cadence mentioned one of the Liars to an adult, the conversation ends there, never to be brought up again. Cadence sees at least two times Aunt Carrie walk around the island in the middle of the night, and the woman pretends to know nothing about it. But as a reader, we never know what is the truth. Was Cadence imagining her aunt walking around? Was it a dream? Or was those late-night walks one of the things the family pretended didn’t exist?

“Did you get back to sleep?” I ask my aunt (…) “Last night, was Johnny up?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says.

ch. 33 p. 90

Most of the information we know about the family is based on Cadence’s memories. In the present, she barely spends any time with them, at least that we see. And so, none of them helps to shed some light on the matter. If they saw Cadence doing something strange all by herself, they never brought it up.

“You’re always at Cuddledown” Mummy complains. “It’s not good to be down there all the time. Carrie went yesterday, looking for something, and she said it was filthy. What have you been doing?” “ Nothing. Sorry about the mess.”

ch. 73 p. 184

Cadence also has a lot of opportunities to speak with her mother about the Liars, but she never opens up. I understand the adults don’t bring up the theme of their dead children, but it would only be natural for Cadence to mention them at some point. Even if it was just to say she would prefer dining with the Liars at Cuddledown instead of New Clairmont. It feels like when Cadence is with the rest of the family, she forgets the Liars exist as if she knows she can’t talk about them. Or maybe she’s with the family only when she isn’t too drugged up. Her mother’s constant reminders to “be normal” wouldn’t line up with letting out a daughter completely out of her mind. She would be far too unstable to keep appearances.

But my quest doesn’t end here. In the middle of so many metaphors, half-told stories, and ambiguity, I want to do many rereads to further explore the story. I want to reread the story in its original language to see if something else catches my eye. Cadence likes to play with words, and I want to find out with which words she has been playing.

When I first read We Were Liars, I thought Cadence was a spoiled brat coming out of her spoiled brat family. As if the tragedy brought some light into the worst of the family, and she was becoming a better person because of it. But now, as I read it again, what I saw at the end was a big God complex coming from Cadence. And I’m curious to see if I read the book a third time, will I see a villain?

After all, she endures.