Liars: A Novel

Liars offers a critique of how societal expectations shape and constrain individual identity, particularly for women. Manguso examines the ways in which cultural norms surrounding marriage, motherhood, and success influence Jane’s sense of self, ultimately highlighting the internal conflicts and anger that arise when societal roles clash with personal desires.

Jane’s reflections reveal how deeply ingrained gender expectations dictate her role as a wife and mother. Her observation, “Wives and more wives, all the way down” (38), encapsulates the generational cycle of women defined primarily by their relationships to men. This repetition strips individuality from the role of “wife,” reducing it to a societal archetype rather than a personal identity. Later, reflecting on John’s mother, she observes, “He was the main character, and I was his wife. His mother had also been a wife” (38). This observation captures the generational cycle of women defined by their relationships to men.  The division of labor in Jane’s marriage reflects this generational cycle of expectations: “We’d fallen into a groove: John made art on the weekends because he felt entitled to, and I did errands and chores on the weekends because I felt responsible” (58). This imbalance underscored how societal norms perpetuate gender roles that prioritize men’s ambitions while relegating women to the background.

Manguso explores how these expectations foster resentment and suppress women’s individuality. Jane’s statement, “It wasn’t that we’d been born angry; we’d become women and ended up angry” (63), points to the systemic forces that shape her emotional state. Her bitterness is not a personal failing but a reaction to a lifetime of societal conditioning that demands self-sacrifice without acknowledgement. This anger manifests in moments of self-awareness, such as when Jane describes her family as “a calm, reasonable man; a serene, adorable child; and a bitter, furious woman” (82), highlighting the disparity between outward appearances and internal realities.

Societal expectations also extend to professional success. When Jane reflects, “I’d just sold another book. I felt embarrassed by my luck” (73), it reveals how cultural pressures diminish her sense of achievement. Her embarrassment stems from the unspoken rule that women should not outshine their male partners, further emphasizing the conflict between personal fulfillment and societal norms.

Perhaps the most telling is Jane’s realization that her happiness cannot be disentangled from her family’s needs:

People without children asked me if I was happy there, in the suburbs, whether I missed living in a city, and I didn’t know how to answer because the very premise of that question depended on my ability to conceive of my personal happiness as independent from the need for health insurance, John’s income, a good school district, and the other needs of my family, which was logically impossible (109).

This reflection captures how societal structures trap women in roles that prioritize familial obligations over personal aspirations, making true autonomy nearly unattainable.

Through Jane’s journey, Liars critiques the societal expectations that shape identity and erode individuality. Manguso challenges readers to examine the cultural norms that perpetuate these roles, encouraging a redefinition of success and fulfillment beyond traditional frameworks.

Manguso distinguishes the role of mother from that of wife, highlighting the sacrifices required in both roles while emphasizing that the emotional labor she performs as a mother—unlike that she performs as a wife—brings profound emotional rewards. While Jane’s marriage to John is marked by frustration and imbalance, with her emotional labor often feeling like a form of exploitation, her experience of motherhood offers her a sense of purpose and empowerment. Through these parallel yet divergent relationships, Manguso critiques societal norms that conflate the roles of wife and mother while celebrating the unique, unconditional love of parenthood.

Jane views the role of “wife” as transactional and self-sacrificing, and she often feels invisible and undervalued in her marriage. This dynamic is reinforced by Jane’s reluctance to fully inhabit the role: “I didn’t want to be a wife, but if I were a wife, I knew I’d be very good at it” (39). This ambivalence reflects her recognition of the oppressive expectations tied to the title, even as she strives to meet societal standards. In contrast, Jane’s experience as a mother is deeply fulfilling, despite its challenges. She describes her relationship with her child as “the most intimate relationship,” even as she recognizes that this relationship “is one-way: the mother’s relationship to the child” (116). This one-sided love is not oppressive but liberating, allowing Jane to express an “all-consuming love that asks nothing of its object” (111). Unlike her marriage, where emotional labor feels obligatory and unrewarded, motherhood becomes a space where Jane’s sacrifices feel meaningful and generative.

The patience Jane develops as a mother emphasizes the emotional rewards that come with motherhood: “I had infinite patience with my one-year-old, whom I held to the behavioral standards of a two-year-old, and almost no patience with my husband, whom I held to the behavioral standards of a mother” (72). While she accepts the one-sided nature of parenting, her inability to extend the same patience to John highlights the fundamental imbalance in their relationship.

Motherhood also reshapes Jane’s sense of purpose. She reflects, “The world didn’t need me. Only the baby needed me” (57), finding clarity in her role as a parent that contrasts with the ambiguity of her role as a wife. Her child’s dependence on her is portrayed not as a burden but as a source of empowerment, giving Jane a new framework for understanding love and self-worth. This unconditional love, though one-directional, allows Jane to reclaim aspects of her identity lost in her marriage.

Through Jane’s dual roles, Manguso critiques the societal expectation that women seamlessly embody both wifehood and motherhood, illustrating how these roles can conflict. At the same time, the novel celebrates the transformative power of motherhood, showing how it enables Jane to redefine herself and prioritize meaningful connections. By drawing this distinction, Liars challenges traditional notions of female identity and advocates a reexamination of the roles that women are expected to play.