This Story is a Lie

 

This Story is a Lie by Tom Pollock  YA

(from Amazon)Seventeen-year-old Peter Blankman is a math genius. He also suffers from devastating panic attacks. Pete gets through each day with the help of his mother—a famous scientist—and his beloved twin sister, Bel.  But when his mom is nearly assassinated in front of his eyes and Bel disappears, Pete finds himself on the run. Dragged into a world where state and family secrets intertwine, Pete must use his extraordinary analytical skills to find his missing sister and track down the people who attacked his mother. But his greatest battle will be with the enemy inside: the constant terror that threatens to overwhelm him.  Weaving between Pete’s past and present, This Story Is a Lie is a testimony from a  protagonist who is brilliant, broken and trying to be brave.

(My Review)  I was intrigued by the mystery of this book, and the mental illness representation in this book.  However, there was so much science and math discussion (knowledge that I did not have) that made it difficult to follow sometimes.  Some books can handle this without disrupting the flow of the book (I'm thinking Project Hail Mary), but I kept getting bogged down, and even had to Google a few things just to get through a paragraph.   It took a while for me to read this one, even though the mystery/story was interesting and original.  Overall, I really liked the story, I just wished it wasn't such a difficult read.