Promises and Other Lies by Sue Whiting

"The fire razed much of the town, destroying seventy-plus homes, five businesses, the surf club, the CWA hall and much of the caravan park, and sadly caused the tragic death of volunteer firefighter Jack Robson ... "

Publisher blurb: One year on from a devastating bushfire, the small coastal town of Wangaroo Bay is still reeling. Fletch’s family lost their home, and his best friend Immie lost her beloved dad, a volunteer firefighter. Throughout it all, Fletch and Immie have had each other … Immie’s grandparents push for the Operation Bayfire investigation to be reopened, but Fletch’s mum, dad and elder brother Cooper want to put the past behind them. And when a local, one of their own, is charged with arson, emotions flare, sides are taken and promises – and secrets – are at stake.

We live in a time when everything is fast paced. The internet has made us slaves to the skim and scan of a text probably without even realising that's what we are doing. But I have to say that approach will not work with this book. Readers aged 11+ will need patience and reading stamina to reap the rewards of this 'who done it' mystery. Sue Whiting does NOT spell everything out for her readers, and I really appreciated this. She expects her readers to work hard. You have to put the pieces together - pieces about each character and about the events of the present and past. Who is telling the truth?

Having said that about the pieces, though, I did at times wish for two things - a character list and even better I wish there was a map of this small south coast town - I do know it is fictional.

Here is an example to explain what I mean about picking up fragments of information and waiting to discover what they are (although this example is not vital to the plot). I do not live near the scene of the dreadful bushfires we had here in Australia in recent years. The bushfire in this book, set on the south coast of NSW, wipes out nearly every house. Early in the story Sue Whiting refers to pods. I had no idea what these were, but I assumed they could be or must be temporary housing. By the end of the story my ideas were confirmed and as I said this isn't an important plot point but it is an example of the way Sue Whiting expects her readers to fill in the gaps for themselves. Another example is Brown's Cows Circus School run by Fetch's mum assisted by Marie - we really don't know much about this but when Immie feels able to join in at the final festival in her cow costume and on stilts we know she is well on the way to healing some of the pain she's been feeling since the loss of her dad. 

Here is a text quote to give you a flavour of the writing in this book:

"Immie's hot. She's tired. She's grumpy. And she's late. A local? She still can't believe it, can't stop thinking about it. Every time she closed her eyes last night, a long noisy freight train loaded with question after question rattled through her brain, one alarming question pulling the next one behind it. Could it really e someone in Wangaroo Bay who started the fire? ... And why come forward now?"

The collective trauma of the town reverberates off the page, and shows how trauma, tragedy, and a desire for justice can impact a community and individuals. It also explores the lengths one person will go to so they can frame someone just to get what they want. To make sure they’re not caught. Everyone in this novel has secrets, makes promises, and lies for different reasons. They all want to protect family and friends, and slowly, things will come out. Things will explode and come to a head as the novel moves along, where the past and present start to collide through the different perspectives used in the novel to build the tension and deliver the clues to the mystery at the heart of the novel. The Book Muse

It so easily could be true which makes it even more gripping. And with the emphasis on truth-telling, relationships, community, and grief it will have a wide appeal. I particularly also enjoyed the references to climate change, and the fire prevention practices of our First Nations people. Although suggested for 10 years upwards, I would suggest it is most suitable for your more mature readers who will be better equipped to absorb the themes and concepts. Just so Stories

When you recommend this book or talk to a group of students tell them to be patient (I already mentioned this) because the action doesn't really 'heat up' (pardon the pun) until chapter 31 and page 242 but please know this is not a weakness it just means the rewards of reading gripping story come thick and fast in the final five chapters. 

Spoiler alert: I wish I had taken more notice of this description of Marie: "with spiky purple hair, floral tattoos ... and thick bands of purple and green woven bracelets at her wrists."

I wonder if Sue Whiting ever wrote for television - this book just feels so cinematic - my brain kept flashing back to the television series Fires (2021) and YES this book is just as gripping as that was.

Character list:

• Immie Robson - it is her dad Jack who died in the fires and her mum died in a car accident many years ago. She has a special relationship with Bertie (the camel)
• Fletch - best friend to Immie
• Mary Feng and Frank Khoo - grandparents to Immie and Jack's in-laws. Immie calls them Ama and Akong.
• Aunty Bree - sister of Jack now living in a caravan behind Ama and Akong's house. Her son is crazy about dinosaurs and his name is Coby
• Marie Holden - new in town but a hero because she saved several houses during the fire and now she runs a podcast where she interviews the local residents
• Cooper Jones - older brother to Fletch 
• Gilmore and Penny O'Carolan parents of Fletch. Gilmore is a member of the local volunteer fire brigade. 
• Old Gus owner of Bertie the camel
• Jason Jones - father of Copper and currently in jail 

Here is a Q and A with Sue whiting about her book. I am sure Promises and Other Lies will be a 2026 CBCA notable title.

Things I enjoyed about this book:

• The alternating viewpoints between Fletch and Immie
• The flashback scenes where we read about the impact of the fire as it is happening
• The surfing scenes - Sue Whiting must be a surfer - these sure do feel very real
• The tension waiting to find the anonymous person informer and also waiting to discover the secret Fletch has been holding onto for a whole year
• The portrayal of the people in the town - the kind ones, the suspicious ones, the angry ones and that sweet little man who owns the camel named Bertie
• The way Bertie kept escaping (this reminded me of Too Small to Fail by Morris Gleitzman)
• The tag line of Fletch and Immie "Holy moly poly. Who would have thunk it?"
  

I have listed some picture book in this blog post about bushfires and I have a Pinterest collection on this topic.

I previously talked about these books by Sue Whiting:

The Book of Chance

Tilda

Pearly and Pig and the Great Hairy Beast