Thus the power of the tee is a lie and rather than feeding off lies, I believe it’s true power comes from feeding off chaos. The insidious nature of the tree is that it feeds off lies but that it’s power to tell truths is a lie. The more people who believe the lie the more knowledge and truth will be gained from the eating the fruit. In order to make the lie tree bare fruit, someone must whisper a lie to the tree and then tell that lie in the real world. People assume he committed suicide, yet Faith his eldest daughter thinks otherwise and she goes on a journey to discover the mysteries of the lie tree and by doing so figures out who killed her father. However, not long after his arrival he turns up dead. He brings the tree with him to a remote island where he was asked to participate in an archeological dig. Yet Hardinge adds a few twists to this story.įaith’s father, Erasmus Sunderly, discovers the tree in Asia and after searching and doing his own share of lies and deception he secures the tree for himself. This thirst for power and thus knowledge goes back to biblical times of Adam and Eve and the tree of knowledge.

At the core of the narrative is a scientific discovery: a tree that will give you truth and knowledge through its fruits if you feed it lies. The book is fast paced with some good suspense and plot development. Book cover of “The Lie Tree” by Frances Hardingeįrances Hardinge’s The Lie Tree was the perfect read for my summer holidays in Catania last week.

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge