There are so many lies flying around in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks that it's hard to keep the facts straight. After all, our heroine Frankie is always sneaking around, lying to Trish about what she's going to use the school keys for (hint: nothing good), and emailing the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds as Alpha. And speak of the devil, Alpha is pretending to actually be behind those emails so as to not lose face with his friends. And Matthew always lies to Frankie about where he's going and why she can't come along. The problem here is that with each lie comes a little betrayal, and pretty soon no one's got a single soul to trust.
Questions About Lies and Deceit
- Why doesn't Alpha tell his friends about how he didn't send that first email? Wouldn't it make it easier for him to find the perpetrator?
- Why does Frankie lie to Matthew about pulling the pranks? Why doesn't she just tell him the truth?
- Why doesn't Frankie confront Matthew when she knows he's lying?
- Why does Frankie come clean at the end and take the blame for all the pranks that happened? What's her angle?
Chew on This
The sad thing is, Frankie's lies do nothing but isolate and alienate her, when all she wants is to be included.
By lying and pulling her amazingly well thought out plans, Frankie isn't being deceitful; she's actually letting loose the person she really is inside.