One of Us is Lying

Nate is the son of an alcoholic father and drug-addicted, bipolar mother who abandoned Nate and his father. She had promised to take Nate with her to the commune she moved to but never returned for him. When a rumor starts that she died, Nate does not correct it, as he does not know what happened to her, and the rumor is easier than acknowledging the messy truth. Left essentially to raise himself, Nate turns to selling prescription drugs to pay for bills his father’s workman’s compensation checks do not cover. When the book begins, Nate is on probation for having been caught dealing, but he stops selling after he becomes a suspect in Simon’s death.

Simon resented Nate because Keely, the girl Simon liked, hooked up with Nate as a way to avoid Simon. He knows Nate did not care about her and is angry that Keely chose Nate (and, later, Cooper) over Simon.

Nate had a crush on Bronwyn when they attended elementary school together. He admired her unflappable, take-charge attitude and stable family. Though she could be exhausting, Bronwyn is interesting to Nate. From the beginning of the investigation, they grow close, spending their evenings talking on the phone and watching movies. Nate’s fears of intimacy and abandonment present an obstacle to their relationship. He feels unworthy of her due to his unstable family and his being a “criminal,” according to Simon’s stereotyping (11). His feelings amplify after Janae frames him for Simon’s murder by planting his computer and the missing EpiPens in Nate’s school locker and home. Addy, Cooper, and Bronwyn all play heroic (in Nate’s view) roles, solving the murder and securing his release, leaving him feeling worthless, as if the only thing he is good for is being easy to frame. Over time, Addy helps him see that he has something to offer, and he is able to be vulnerable with Bronwyn, admit his feelings, and ask for a second chance, which she accepts.

Cooper is the “jock” (11). Since childhood, his father has groomed Cooper for a baseball career and calls him “Cooperstown,” after the Baseball Hall of Fame. He moved his family from the American South to California so that Cooper could practice baseball year-round. Cooper believes his father is counting on Cooper making their expensive California lifestyle worth it by signing a big major league contract someday. For the time being, their lifestyle is subsidized by Nonny, Cooper’s grandmother. Cooper feels he must hide that he is gay from his father, who would not accept this aspect of Cooper. Nonny, however, gently encourages Cooper to embrace who he is even before he comes out to her.

Simon resents Cooper because he got Simon blacklisted from an after-prom party. At the time, Cooper feared being outed. The night of prom, Simon drunkenly put his arm around Cooper’s shoulders, and a panicked Cooper assumed Simon had discovered Cooper was gay and was hitting on him. As a way to distance himself from Simon, Cooper convinced the party host to uninvite Simon. Shortly after, Cooper began dating Keely, further fueling Simon’s anger at him. Simon finds out that Cooper is secretly dating a male model and plans to use the information to ruin his life.

Cooper’s decision whether to come out is taken from him when the police discover Simon’s post. He is forced to come out to his father, who reacts as Cooper expected. Though he is taunted by some of his former friends, his teammate, Luis, stands by him, as do his fellow murder suspects. Cooper himself struggles to accept being gay and in an open relationship, though he makes progress by the end of the book.

Simon assigns Addy the title of “princess” (11). Nate initially reduces her to this stereotype as well, assuming that she cares only about her boyfriend and whatever drama is playing out among her friends. Addy’s preoccupation with her boyfriend stems from the influence of her mother, who suggests Addy’s only value lies in being an accessory to a man who will provide for her. Addy’s mother encourages her to use sex and her looks to keep her man happy. After Jake and Addy break up, her mother urges Addy to find a replacement immediately, so that she does not end up alone, a sad single girl.

Simon does not seem to have had a grievance against Addy. Instead, her involvement seems to be collateral damage. Simon discovered that she cheated on Jake. After Simon’s friend, Janae, refuses to help Simon execute his plot, he uses his gossip on Addy to enrage Jake, who agrees to help Simon so that Jake can frame Addy for murder.

Addy discovers her funny, observant, and caring side after her breakup. She notices that Bronwyn has been paying more attention to her appearance since hanging out with Nate. After Cooper comes out to her, she connects what she had previously interpreted as remoteness to self-protectiveness. She notices Janae’s anxiety and depression. Addy begins to explore her own interests and talents after the breakup. Her loyalty and compassion lead to a friendship with Janae, and Addy becomes instrumental in exposing Jake’s role in Simon’s plan. She also engineers a reunion between Nate and Bronwyn by helping Nate understand why he pushed her away. At the end of the book, she prepares to move in with her sister, who is also starting a new, single life.

Simon is only seen in the first chapter but his presence looms large throughout the novel. He describes himself according to the role he believes has been forced on him, that of “omniscient narrator,” meaning that he felt unseen by people whose friendship he felt owed (11). Simon fulfills his role first through About That then by planning his suicide and framing his classmates for murder. He also sketches out the Tumblr posts that Jake later publishes.

After Simon’s death, Bronwyn’s sister discovers his presence on 4chan threads that analyze school shootings from the perspective of those who laud the violence and destruction. Because Simon doesn’t narrate any of the chapters, his relationship with his family is unknown. However, it’s clear that he wanted to be accepted by the jocks and athletes he mocked on his website and app. Addy mentions that Simon was always around her group but never one of them. Later in the book, she is surprised to learn that Cooper got Simon blacklisted from Vanessa’s party and realizes that she had not even noticed his absence, which she realizes is part of the problem. Cooper believes Simon regretted his decision as he lay dying and wishes that Simon could have survived and had an opportunity to grow, as the four narrators do. Simon hoped his suicide would ruin four lives, but each of the narrators grows through their trying experiences, while Simon lost his chance to do so.

At the beginning of the book, Addy describes Janae according to yet another stereotype: “a sorta-Goth girl” who was Simon’s only friend (42). After his death, she becomes increasingly anxious and depressed. Addy catches her crying in the bathroom, and Janae begins joining Addy and Bronwyn for lunch, though Bronwyn does not trust Janae’s motives. Janae lashes out at the group, saying they had no idea who Simon was. Janae’s criticism is accurate, since all the students initially resort to labels and reductive stereotypes, instead of truly seeing and getting to know each other.

Addy continues her friendly overtures toward Janae, no longer willing to reduce her to a stereotype. Bronwyn’s concern is later proved correct, though not for the reasons she assumed. Jake blackmailed Janae to help him frame Addy. She was supposed to plant Simon’s computer and the missing EpiPens in Addy’s room, but in the face of Addy’s warmth and compassion, Janae cannot go through with it. After Jake is exposed, Janae and Addy become “thick as thieves” (337). 

At the beginning of the book, Jake is Addy’s boyfriend. His behavior towards her is controlling and belittling. He sets their social agenda and, when she chooses practicality over fashion for a beach bonfire, orders her to change into something “cuter” (63). When Addy admits that she cheated on Jake, he punches a wall and berates her. The next day, he punches TJ, the boy Addy cheated with, and has to be pulled off of him. When Cooper suggests he lighten up, Jake rages at him.

Later in the book, it’s revealed that Jake knew Addy had cheated on him all along. Simon used this information to stoke Jake’s rage so that he would agree to participate in Simon’s revenge plot. Janae eventually tells Addy that Simon did not care if Jake got caught, since Simon secretly hated Jake for having abandoned their friendship in high school. Janae also reveals Simon’s full plot to Addy, including that Jake intended for Janae to plant Simon’s computers and his and the nursing office’s EpiPens in her bedroom. Jake comes to Janae’s house to confront her for not going through with his plan while Addy is there. She hides and begins recording Jake threatening Janae, but forgets to silence her phone. Her phone goes off, and Jake finds her. His violence reaches its crescendo as he chases her into the woods and attempts to strangle her. Cooper arrives in time to punch Jake and save Addy. At the end of the book, Jake is being held in juvenile detention.

Ashton is Addy’s older sister. She married young, and at the beginning of the book, the marriage has become strained. Addy recalls how happy her sister was on her wedding day and how quickly the relationship deteriorated. After she catches her husband with another woman, Ashton returns home and becomes a source of support for Addy in the face of their mother’s criticism. Ashton reminds her mother that finding a male provider has not worked out for either of them and tells her to allow Addy to be 17. At the end of the book, she has rented an apartment for herself and Addy so that they can live together away from their mother’s influence.