Maile Meloy has written one of the most tender and heart-wrenching novels about the American family I have ever read. The story of Liars and Saints focuses on the Santerre family, an average middle-class, Catholic family living in California for several generations. Father Teddy is a hero of both Korea and WWII; mom Yvette is his long passionate and pious wife. Their children, Margot, a prim and proper Catholic girl, Clarissa, a free spirit, and Jamie, the rebellious and troubled boy, provide the bulk of the plot. Following the parents, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren through the carefree years of '50s, the turbulent years of the '60s, the crazy '70s and '80s, right up to the new millennium, Liars and Saints is a beautiful portrait of the love and lies that families give each other.