Zach's Lie

Zach’s Lie is a thriller. Thriller is a literary genre that creates feelings of excitement, suspense, uncertainty, and anxiety in the reader. Plot drives thrillers, and the antagonist’s actions set the plot in motion. In Zach’s Lie, Alonzo Aznar’s threats against the family’s safety drive the story. Aznar is a master criminal, and his unscrupulous actions create a personal crisis for Zach, who struggles to remain true to his values as the plot progresses. In a thriller, the stakes are high for both the antagonist and protagonist, which creates tension for the reader: Aznar faces prison if he does not stop Neil from testifying, and Zach and his family will die if Aznar finds them. Adding Peter’s threats and the responsibility of keeping Neil’s journal safe, Smith raises the stakes even higher for Zach, creating increasingly difficult situations for him to navigate, thereby increasing the opportunities for him to fail.

The David and Goliath set-up is common in thrillers. The thriller begins with the antagonist having the upper hand: At the story’s onset, the antagonist is all-powerful and has the resources and abilities to defeat the hero. The hero, in turn, is usually weak, underpowered, and begins the story at a strong disadvantage. Zach is a victim of Aznar’s actions through most of the novel. He is initially helpless and must flee for his and his family’s safety. At the novel’s climax—an essential thriller element—Zach’s safety is in danger, and he and Sam are at Aznar’s mercy. Zach transitions from victim to hero with help from key allies and through discovering his inner strength.

Suspense is an essential element of a thriller. Smith creates suspense through his use of dual narrative perspectives, foreshadowing and inference, and pacing. The multiple points of view allow readers to see the story from different angles, creating narrative irony, wherein the reader knows more than the characters. Smith hints that Zach will fail with ominous statements like Aznar’s comment to Peter: “Unfortunately, you know a little too much for our own good” (179-180). The novel’s race-against-the-clock pacing, in which events happen in quick succession, also increases suspense.

The final element that sets thrillers apart from other mystery and crime genres is psychology. Suspense thrillers require the characters and readers to question what is real and what is a lie. As a spy thriller, Zach’s Lie evokes the psychology of suspicion and paranoia; characters have multiple identities, hidden pasts, and secrets that even allies cannot share with one another. The crime at the center of the plot reveals another crime, hidden deep in the past, which complicates the events of the present and raises the stakes for the protagonist even higher. This multilayered plot structure is a core element of suspense thrillers. Thrillers test the protagonist’s psychological, rather than physical, strength. They must withstand numerous opportunities to surrender, especially when the wellbeing of someone they love is at stake. Zach overcomes these trials because he is able to use Aznar’s psychology against him.