Tell Me Lies

Stephen is the novel’s deuteragonist and a Baird College graduate. He is a political science major who aspires to become a corporate lawyer and become wealthy before he is 30. He sees law as a representation of the competitive laws of nature, and he wants only to rise to the top, seeing moral values as weak. Despite not being conventionally attractive in his own estimation, he has striking green eyes and a great deal of charisma, which he uses to get women to have sex with him. Despite his external charm and friendliness, however, he is an undiagnosed sociopath and narcissist who has little regard for anyone. He is often cruel and cold in his internal narration, providing biting remarks and judgments about others.

Stephen sees the people in his life as extensions of himself and tools to be used for his advancement and entertainment. He maintains a relationship with Diana because she makes him more productive, and he has no problem cheating on her with Nicole and Lucy. Stephen quickly grows bored and irritated with every woman he is with, preferring the pursuit of women to the labor of navigating romantic relationships with them. He enjoys sex with Lucy, fixating on her body, but does not like or care about her as a person and makes no effort to appeal to her family. Not long after getting into an honest, official relationship with her, he grows tired of her and replaces her with Jillian. Despite breaking up with Lucy, he tries to charm her and get back into her life at Bree’s wedding reception, but Lucy is apathetic and only asks about Macy Petersen, whose accidental death he caused. He has entertained thoughts of hurting people he does not like and has even contemplated hurting Alice’s family’s dog, Nellie.

Stephen is tormented by images of Macy’s death, not because he loved her or feels guilty, but rather because he fears what could happen if anyone found out that he was responsible for her death. After remembering the accident one time, he sheds tears but is unsure why. He has a DUI on his record that limits his law school prospects, but instead of taking responsibility, he blames Officer Gonzales for arresting him and his father for not fixing the broken headlight that led the officer to pull him over.

CJ Albright (née Clifford) is Lucy and Georgia’s mother and Ben’s wife. CJ is a devoted wife and mother who loves to show support for Ben and their daughters and help them in any way she can. She is also deeply understanding of the college experience, and her own young adulthood leads her to view Lucy’s alcohol and drug use with empathy rather than judgment. Having grown up in a lower-middle-class family in Rhode Island before leaving to live with her wealthy and generous aunt Marilyn, CJ has an extensive travel history and a large collection of nice clothing and jewelry from Marilyn. She also enjoys the lifestyle of Long Island’s upper class and dislikes anything she sees as reminiscent of her own less privileged origins.

CJ hides a dark secret: When Lucy was a freshman in high school, CJ began an affair with Gabe Petersen, the slightly older brother of Lucy’s best friend, Macy. She deeply regrets what she did and has confessed to Ben, who eventually forgave her. Ben is proud of CJ, and CJ has done everything she can to atone for her wrongdoing, but she has kept the secret from her children. Unbeknownst to her, Lucy has known about the affair for years, creating friction between mother and daughter.

CJ and Ben chose not to tell Lucy and Georgia because they did not want to confuse them. However, this decision has had the unintended consequence of leading Lucy to resent CJ so much that she began treating her more coldly and calling her by her first name. However, when Lucy and CJ tell the full truth to each other, they can forgive each other, knowing that they have both made horrible mistakes out of pain. CJ also reveals that, like Lucy, she had a toxic relationship with a manipulative man she had trouble letting go of, even with the knowledge that he was not good for her. She eventually got out of that relationship and met Ben, with whom she has had a mostly happy marriage aside from the infidelity. At the end of the novel, Lucy hopes to follow her example.