Customer Reviews

The Lies That Bind: A Novel

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Edward DeAngelo presents his characters brilliantly. I could not put this book down. DeAngelo allowed me to really know these people, complete with their emotions and physical appearance. I felt as if I passed them on the street they would be easily recognizable from how he had painted them for me. In one word "spellbinding", a must read.

By page 2, Edward De Angelo's novel had me in its grip. The Lies that Bind is a book that I didn't want to put down. The story of Sam and Pete ensnares you with threads so light you don't realise you are bound.

The human genome, itself, has reached celebrity status and we have to decide what constitutes family, DNA or connection? Edward De Angelo's compassion and empathy with his characters, celebrates the relationships we all need to thrive.

Even though the title is "The Lies That Bind" , the book evokes "The Ties that Bind" and celebrates that thought. Enjoy!

For the last decade, in the interests of Family Law Reform, I've advised men and women regarding technicals aspects of paternity testing. In 1994 I helped to revise the Delaware paternity testing statutes to include DNA analysis.

In the course of this work, I've met the like of Pete Morrison -- Edward Deangelo's engaging protagonist -- on many occasions. Here is the first realistic portrait in contemporary literature of one of the men who are fathers from conscious acts of will and innate affection.

These are the step-fathers, foster-fathers, and cuckolded husbands who struggle against the societal notion that biology is ironclad destiny.

The law, sociology, psychology, and social barriers depicted in this first novel are despairingly accurate, as I can attest. The issues and arguments are discomfertingly real.

Yet what stands out beyond the strong thematic structure is the people Deangelo makes flesh: a confused but well-intentioned man lost in a world of changing rules, a boy cut adrift from the anchors of his identity, and the woman, who in lesser hands could have been a caricature of venality, who remains a sympathetic figure torn between conflicting loyalties.

Travel with Pete Morrison on the winding road toward the boy he would have as his son. You won't be disappointed.

Lies That Bind is a great book! It is the kind of book that forces you to to forgo that good night's sleep so that you can stay up reading. You can't put it down because you want to know what will happen next and yet you want to put it down so that you can talk about the characters with your friends. This book will appeal particularly to book groups because it has that wonderful mix of a humorous style combined with some very serious content. It raises deep moral questions and should probably be made into a movie (think Tom Hanks in the lead role). I can't wait for more books from this author!

I couldn't put it down. Right from the opening chapter when the narrator decides to take a paternity test, I was hooked. I could guess the test result -- the book jacket gives that much away -- but I wanted more. The compelling story pulls you in. You want to discover all you can about the parents, the child, the lawyers, the judges, the friends, the court-appointed psychologist. I found myself arguing with some of the characters, cheering for some others, cajoling a few more; but always I found myself starting a new chapter even though I was stealing hours from my own sleep. DeAngelo's way with words entertains as it enlightens: 'As I stepped into the living room, Dave came out from the kitchen. He and Marcia stood side by side, facing me, leaning together with sad faces. They were like an American Gothic with compassion.' His imagery is at times shocking ('I watched as the needle extended and then nestled, like a child under the covers, into my veins.'); at times, vivid ('I wanted to let him off the hook and he thought I was tossing him back in the lake.'); at times restful ('She was the first woman who ever made me feel as if I wanted to put my head on her shoulder. It was like the moments after sex, when you just lie there...'). The issues of paternity, legal guardianship, child support, and love are all powerfully addressed in The Lies That Bind. Buy this book: read it and then pass it on. You'll want to talk about it with all your friends.

Beautifully written and plotted book. Once you start it, you won't be able to put it down, and it can be thoroughly enjoyed as just a great read. Yet it leaves the reader with a lot of food for thought and discussion -- not only about the nature of the ties between parents and children, but also about how our legal system is grappling with those very problems today. The writing and plotting are crisp and well-paced, with nice touches of humor or irony in just the right places. Very highly recommended.

This was an excellent exploration of a topic that has just recently been on the front pages of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. What happens when a devoted father discovers that he is not the father of the son he has adored and raised into his teenage years? The characters are well drawn, the dialogue very realistic and the story enthralling. This is a good book club book as well as a good read for anyone who likes a fascinating, complex tale.

This was a compelling book, one which kept me turning the pages long after I should have put it down. From the first chapter, when Pete Morrison decides to have a blood test done to confirm or allay his suspicions about his son's parentage, this reader was hooked.

I cringed as Sam's parents stumbled through the legal swamp, getting in deeper and deeper with every action taken by their attorneys. The author never dwelled on anything, and never wrote in a preachy fashion as he examined many issues of parenthood that occur on a daily basis in our society. Through some beautifully written thoughts he managed to convey the agony, indecision, and confusion of all the characters.

The ending was not at all contrived, as it easily could have been. Instead, I came away from this book hoping that someone else I know will read it so we can talk about it. Definitely a lot of food for thought and discussion.

I can't believe this novel got four stars from most reviewers. I found it at times to be ridiculous and unrealistic.

The narrator was a complete sap who constantly made excuses as to his rightful actions. His ex-wife was a completely unlikable bitter woman who lived a lie for years. I didn't like either one of them and at times was completely exasperated at Pete Morrison's lack of confidence.

The last chapter was a complete fabrication of real life and made the whole book into a joke. Why didn't the narrator try to adopt the boy? The jerk was throwing money at him and his cold-hearted mother left and right throughout the whole book. He was constantly belittling himself and thinking he was the bad guy, when instead, he was the victim of the ex-wife's manipulation.

Do yourself a favor and don't waste time on this nonsense.

I'm not a big fiction reader, but this book sucked me in from the start! The very discussion that needs to be had on paternity rights in this country makes my blood boil, and this novel hit all the veins with brilliant descriptions of a father's emotions, and ex-husband's stubbornness, and a betrayed man's anger.
The legal maneuvering described might be a little far fetched for real life, but the leaps the author asks you to take are small.
I read this book in two sittings and went right back online to see if Deangelo had more novels out there. I was disappointed to only find the one.
I suggest this novel for anyone who wants to feel the rage and disbelief of a well-intentioned father, and leave with the love shared through a bond that doesn't need DNA to be created.