The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski — book review

“It was hard for me to tell what was real. Lies made it worse. It is a midnight lie, she said. A kind of lie told for someone else’s sake, a lie that sits between goodness and wrong, just as midnight is the moment between night and morning. ”

Having loved and agonised over Marie Rutkoski’s ‘The Winner’s Trilogy’, I had quite high hopes for The Midnight Lie. Set in the same universe as her previous trilogy, this book is narrated by Nirrim who lives on an island divided by strict social classes (High Kith, Middling, Half Kith, and Un-kith). As a Half Kith Nirrim is forced to live in the Ward, forbidden to wear certain colours or materials and foods. No one seems to question why there is such a social divide, nor do they question their city’s history, and rather than wondering why they live in such an unjust system they say to themselves and others: ‘It is as it is’.

“We had been taught not to want more than we had.”

Nirrim, an orphan, has been subjugated and oppressed her whole life. An encounter with a mysterious a traveller called Sid dramatically alters the course of Nirrim’s life. Sid, who is unapologetically unabashed and outspoken, is unlike any person Nirrim has met. To the disapproval of Raven, the woman who raised her and her employer, Nirrim finds herself tagging along Sid’s quest for magic.

“It can be hard to imagine things beyond your reach. It feels like you will be punished just for wanting what you’ll never have.”

While the premise is not very innovative, the romance in this book is simply off-the-charts. Usually, I find romance in YA fiction to be…dull. From their very fist meeting the chemistry between Nirrim and Sid is simply…sizzling (these lines: “Nirrim, I can’t be good to you.”, “Then be bad.”) . Given that they have been raised in completely different circumstances it takes them some time to understand each other. Readers quickly realise that Nirrim is in more than one toxic relationship and that she does not deserve happiness or freedom. Sid however challenges Nirrim’s worldview and encourages her character growth.

“There is no possible way to understand fairness and guilt when your world has already determined a set of rules that doesn’t make sense.”

The scope of the story is definitely far more narrow than the one in the ‘The Winner’s Trilogy’. Given that the characters themselves do not know why their city is the way it is, the world-building remains vague. The novel depicts the way in which those in Nirrim’s position can be indoctrinated and abused. The narrative also does not shy away from revealing just how horrifying systematic oppression is.
As Nirrim begins to question the system, she comes more into her own and her relationship with Sid develops in a beautiful way.
The plot as such is a rather slow burner yet the dramatic finale will undoubtedly leave readers desperate to read the next instalment. The story is very much about Nirrim: coming to grips with the nature of those around her, realising her self-worth, and her search for answers.

“I had never felt or seen anything so beautiful, and it was only then that I realised how starved I had been for beauty.”

Marie Rutkoski writing is as beautiful as ever. From her metaphors to her insightful observations. Her prose perfectly reflects Nirrim’s worldview.
I also appreciated the Ancient Greece inspired setting and the allusions to Sappho.

While part of me wished for the ending to have provided us with some more answers, I still thoroughly enjoyed this novel. In spite of the swoon-worthy romance the story deals with many serious issues. It was also interesting seeing the way in which the world-building slowly unfolded.
Heart-rendering and engaging, The Midnight Lie is a must-read for fans of ‘The Winner’s Trilogy’.

My rating: ★★★★✰ 4 stars

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