The Bookish Ashley

Juliet FitzGerald’s Liar’s Dice is a striking debut that blends the raw ache of sisterhood with the charged atmosphere of 1970s Brazil under dictatorship. It’s a story about love, loss, and survival, told through the eyes of a teenage girl who refuses to stop searching for her twin sister, no matter how much the world tries to make her forget.

The novel’s greatest strength lies in its emotional undercurrent. Dolores is a compelling narrator—confused, defiant, and utterly human. Her voice captures both the innocence of adolescence and the growing awareness of political and personal betrayal. FitzGerald writes with lyrical restraint, creating a vivid sense of place: the humid, chaotic streets of Rio, the suffocating silence of her parents’ grief, and the quiet, dangerous hope that drives Dolores forward.

While the pacing sometimes wavers and a few historical details could have been fleshed out more, Liar’s Dice succeeds in immersing the reader in its emotional landscape. The relationship between Dolores and Andrea adds grit and energy, a necessary counterbalance to the novel’s melancholic tone.

This is not a fast read—it’s one that lingers. FitzGerald’s debut feels like an old photograph: beautiful, slightly faded, and full of hidden stories. Liar’s Dice is a moving exploration of resilience, memory, and the lengths we go to for those we love, even when the truth refuses to stay still.

Verdict: A poignant, atmospheric debut with a strong emotional core. Perfect for readers who enjoy slow-burn historical fiction that intertwines family secrets with political unrest.