The Mysteries in a Teen's Life by Anne

The Mysteries in a Teen's Life by Anne - October 2020 Scholarship Essay

Oftentimes, we think of shows like Riverdale or Gilmore Girls whenever we think of a fictional teen story. However, in One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, the teens cannot spend too much time focusing on their personal relationships or else they may become the next one suspected of the murder that happened in detention.
The story of One of Us is Lying starts out as a normal teen drama: five characters are concerned over their personal lives regarding relationships and school until they all end up in detention together. Whilst in detention, one of them has an allergic reaction and dies at the hospital; however, it is revealed that this particular student died because he took in peanut oil which meant that his death was deliberate. It becomes a classic “Who did it?” type of mystery as the remaining four students start to suspect each other while new information from the police continues to leak out. McManus brings her readers along for the ride as the clues start to piece together and direct the story towards the proper ending. Personally, I enjoy a mystery novel told from the perspective of a person who may have been involved with the crime as it constantly makes readers question whether they should trust certain characters or not. McManus makes use of this constant inquiry by switching perspectives between the four characters for each chapter, creating even more confusion for the reader as they try to piece together which character or characters are lying and which are speaking the truth. When the killer is finally revealed, it comes as a shock. It becomes a character no one, not even the readers, suspected, yet when all the clues are put together, it makes sense. All while trying to solve this mystery, the suspected students also have to navigate through school, constantly being outcasted by their peers. This adds another layer, one that I can relate to more because I am still struggling to navigate through high school.
High school is a defining moment in the lifetimes of most people. It is a period of development as students start to figure out what they like and what they don’t. It is a period of growth and finally figuring out the possible career options as high school is one step closer to the workforce. Everyone struggles through high school and these characters are no different. Not only did they have to prove their collective innocence, but they also had to figure out how they were going to secure their future and save their current relationships. These characters only had each other to rely on as their fellow peers outcasted them for being different. Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t abandon each other or else an innocent may end up in jail for a crime they didn’t do.
Overall, One of Us is Lying was a story filled with great mystery and character growth. Readers are able to see how the cogs of the mystery came together to solve the case all while these four characters tried to navigate through the hardest part of their lives. They were thrown into a situation that most adults are unfamiliar with and had to collectively push past it so that they can all enter into society as innocent citizens.