In a society when all you do is lie, there is always a waning question of ‘what is the truth?’ In the novel Verity, Colleen Hoover makes the reader fall in love with reading in order to know what is happening. Throughout reading this book, I was brought through so many emotions including loss, heartbreak, fear, and also love. The craft that Hoover uses is truly remarkable; throughout the book she uses intimidating word choice while reaching in to sensitive topics for most people, and manipulates the truth throughout all of it.

The main character is a small-time writer, Lowen, who is filling in to finish a series for a headline author, Verity, who is unable to finish the series because of a brain-damaging car accident. When Lowen travels to Verity’s house to read her outlines, she finds a manuscript about Verity and her life. As Lowen starts reading it, she becomes more and more wary about Verity’s presence in the house, and the lack thereof of Verity’s children. It makes Lowen think, how really did Verity’s two daughters die?

Throughout the book, Hoover stays consistent with her eerie word choice. As Lowen is reading through the manuscript, she comes across this passage about Verity “[Pushing] two fingers into her mouth and throat, until my knuckles were pressed against her gums and she was no longer crying” (Hoover 188). Hoover explains this situation with such gruesome detail that it is both intriguing and terrifying all at the same time.

Hoover also makes sure to get into the sensitive details of life with topics like abuse. Throughout the novel, Verity is constantly manipulating and mentally abusing her husband through making herself have a miscarriage just for her husband, Jeremy, to love her more. She also goes on to physically abuse her children and tips a canoe that they were on to drown one child. Colleen Hoover ensures to reach out and grab every single person’s heart, and then continue to rip it out with every single page she writes.

The author creates a feeling of broken trust with how she manipulates every single word. Within the book, Hoover twists and turns the truth left and right; there are many options to pick from to understand what is going on, then finally when the answer is somewhat clear, she turns a complete 180o and changes everything you thought you knew. Hoover does this because “[It’s] easy it is for a writer to pretend to be someone they aren’t” (299). The way that Hoover writes her books creates a lost sense of reality.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is ready to have their heart twisted into a million different knots. It was the most chilling and psychologically confusing book that I had ever read. What do you think is the truth?