A lot of the drama in Everneath stems from lies people tell one another. Sometimes their reason for lying or concealing the truth is straight-up manipulative—like, pretty much any time Cole opens his mouth. But then Nikki tells her fair share of lies, too—including lies by omission—in order to try to protect the people she cares about. Neither strategy seems to work out very well. Most of Nikki's lies get exposed, just causing more hurt, while Cole's deceitful strategies sometimes backfire.
Honesty is probably the best policy here, but then again, if Nikki tried to go public with the truth about the Everliving, would anyone believe her?
Questions About Lies and Deceit
- What does Nikki lie to Jack about? Why does she lie? When does she tell the truth? What motivates her? Are there similarities between this and what motivates her to lie? Differences?
- How does Jack generally react when he finds out that Nikki's been lying to him?
- What are some ways that Cole manipulates Nikki into doing what he wants? Does he ever tell the whole truth? How can you tell?
- Cole claims to not be manipulating or lying to Nikki. Do you believe him? Why or why not?
- Who is the biggest liar in this book?
Chew on This
Lying has practically become a way of life for Nikki after the Feed.
There's no such thing as a harmless white lie in Everneath.