Book Review: I Can See Your Lies by Izzy Lee

 

I Can See Your Lies by Izzy Lee

158 pages, Paperback
Published February, 2024 by Dark Hart Books

New voices in horror are always a good thing.  Izzy Lee is she has been bringing her unique point of view to horror films for a awhile, now but with this novel she is spreading her vision into the domain of prose scares. She first got on my radar with a series of short films that I first saw at Horrible Imaginings Film Fest where she stood out as a short filmmaker who turned limited resources into solid short films. I had her on the podcast to help raise money to make her first feature film House of Ashes.  I am very excited for that film.

She is currently in post-production, so it is a little crazy that she managed to release a book at the same time. Released by Dark Hart collection which is the publishing arm of Sadie Hartman the author and long-time bookstagramer who is most often known as Mother Horror. I think many of us trust Sadie and her publishing this short novel is a great sign.

Izzy Lee is an accomplished horror storyteller, she understands the elements and can build them into an effective story. I Can See Your Lies is a short novel, a little longer than what I consider a novella but technically it is considered a novella. The good news is this book has plenty of story no matter how it is designated and is packed with creepy moments. Fin and her situation reminded me in a positive way of A Sarah Pinborough point of view character. Fans of Sarah Pinbrough’s feminist thrillers will like what is going on here, reminded me of Insomnia, which will soon be a TV series.

There are some first-novel growing pains, but I think an editor can often smooth those out. None of those things take away from the ultimate experience.  Mostly some shifts or reveals in the novel could’ve used more build-up or foreshadowing. I get made fun of for thinking every movie is twenty minutes too long, in this case, my biggest problem with this novel is I wanted more. That is a good problem to have.

The story follows Fin, who has just learned her husband is cheating, the process of dealing with this includes looking into her mother. She lives in LA, her sister works in casting and they grew up without their famous mother who disappeared after filming a movie that won many awards including the big ones.

The strength of the novel is the movie industry's adjacent mystery, the first act focuses on Fin’s marriage as it breaks, it sends up the parallels with her long-lost mother’s experience which she learns through reading her journal. The supernatural elements involve Mrs. Don’t, a ghost/ imaginary friend that both Fin and her daughter are haunted by. This aspect of the story is not surprising but effective.

What’s going on?”
“I saw Mrs. Don’t again.”
Shit. Shit-shit-shit-shit.
“Where are you, baby? Are you in your room at
Auntie’s?”
“Yeah.” Then silence.
“Is she still there? Mrs. Don’t, I mean.” Fin peeled back
the bed’s comforter so as to inspect the sheets. They at
least looked clean.
“I’m under the blankets. I’m afraid to look.”

This is a very strong first effort. I hope When Izzy succeeds in film she will keep writing horror novels.  A longer novel could have rolled out the backstory with a little more mood and vibe. I think a visual storyteller working for the first time at this length will have time to grow. I Can See Your Lies is a good debut, so don’t get me wrong. I think there is a lot to relate to in this novel, and fans of women-centric thrillers like Gone Girl, or Behind Her Eyes should see this as a supernatural cousin.