- The Good Liar – Laura Caldwell
The Good Liar tells the story of a woman whose new husband and best friend share a secret life, one that she is determined to uncover. Laura Caldwell tells a gripping story, one that bounces between 3 protagonists and different, pivotal periods in their life. It’s part love story and part spy novel, and the mixture comes up satisfactory.
1) Do you think organizations like the Trust exist in our country? If not, could they? What do you think of the Trust’s initial mission statement and goals?
I think it is highly unlikely that an organization like the Trust does, or could, exist in this day and age. State secrets have become increasingly harder to keep safe, and having a private institution doing basically the same thing as the CIA would be even harder to keep off of Wikileaks. The closest we probably have are the Blackwaters and Halliburtons of the world. The initial mission statement and goals of the Trust, while certainly noble, were somewhat naive. Even with the best intentions, it was easy to see how such an organization could lead down the path that they did in the book, straying from their original purpose to becoming assassins for hire.
2) At some point in the book, Kate says that long distance relationships are the toughest breed. Do you agree? Can long distance relationships work? Do you think Michael and Kate moved too fast?
Of course long distance relationships are tougher; you have all of the difficulties of a “normal” relationship with the added stresses of being apart. Can they work? Sure, but both sides have to be willing to put in the extra work needed to make it work. Michael and Kate definately moved too fast. They barely knew each other and had hardly spent any real time together. They got caught up in the passion and the excitement of infatuation, but never took the time to figure out what being together would truly mean.
3) Before reading this book, did you know about the Phoenix Program? What did you think about what Michael had to do as part of the Phoenix Program?
No, I did not know about the Phoenix Program. As presented in the book, the goals and methods of the Phoenix Program did not seem all that different than the Hollywood version of the CIA, so it seemed as though what Michael did was done for the good of his country.
4) Should Liza have been more careful about introducing Kate to a member of the Trust? Once Michael and Kate became close, should Liza have done something more to caution her, even though it violated Trust protocol?
I don’t think Liza had any clue that the two would have hit it off as quickly as they did and she probably figured that if it went far enough, something, or someone, would have broken them up, similar to what happened with her and Aleksei. Once they were about to be married, there really wasn’t much more that she could do without exposing Michael and/or herself, which would have put Kate in even more danger.
5) Michael wanted to retire from the Trust, but he found it tougher to step away than he anticipated. Were his struggles specific to his work or is retirement universally difficult, no matter what your profession?
I think that there are certian professions or careers that are harder to walk away from than others. Just look at Brett Favre. When someone is used to being in the limelight, or having power and information, and having the adrenaline rush that comes along with that, it is easier to say you want to leave than it is to actually do it. The personality traits that made these people suited for the line of work they are in don’t suddenly turn off overnight, even if the truly do want to walk away and spend more time with their families.