I see a headline like, “‘We Were Liars‘ is modern-day ‘King Lear'” and you know I’m clicking it. I remember reading We Were Liars. I didn’t immediately remember it being a King Lear story. I recall a flashback story about teenagers spending their summers on the beach at Cape Cod, and a house burning down. *shrug* *click*
Disclaimer: I’d forgotten that they’re making a tv series, which apparently launches this week. The only knowledge I have of the project is the book, so who knows how they may have changed it.
“He can feel it coming and there’s a kind of a clock ticking for him,” the actor said. “There’s things that he wants to get done before he’s really gone and it makes him very vulnerable and touching to me and unexpected in a character like this. So, in that way, I suppose it’s like King Lear.“
Ok, fair enough. Out of curiosity I tried to remind myself of my thoughts on the book at the time, and was actually surprised by what I’d written on Goodreads:
It occurred to me late in the story that this book is a bit of a young adult version of King Lear. There’s definitely King Lear references. The theme of “Once upon a time there was a king that had three daughters” comes up frequently.
I still don’t remember much about it, I clearly wasn’t paying close attention. But now that I mention it, I do remember that the “king who had three daughters” is literally in the story several times, like it’s part of the narration. Maybe now that I’m getting hit over the head with it I should read it again?
Or at least watch it, I guess.
P.S. – I also had no idea it’s a book series? Apparently there’s three of them. Anybody read them all? Should I follow up?