'We Were Liars' author returns for more teenage catharsis in 'We Fell Apart'

Summary

---

NPR's Book of the Day

Episode: 'We Were Liars' author returns for more teenage catharsis in 'We Fell Apart'

Date: November 26, 2025
Host: Juana Summers
Guest: E. Lockhart

---

Episode Overview

This episode features best-selling YA author E. Lockhart discussing her latest novel, We Fell Apart, with NPR’s Juana Summers. The conversation explores Lockhart’s continued fascination with teenagers as characters, her imaginative ties to Martha’s Vineyard, the emotional intensity and moral dilemmas at the heart of her books, and what it means to write for and about young people searching for catharsis and self-forgiveness.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Why Teenagers Make Compelling Characters

• E. Lockhart’s perspective: Teens are at a pivotal transition, questioning their foundational institutions (family, school, community) and forging new identities.
  • Quote: “Teenagers are in a really important and kind of exciting transition in life […] we begin to question, rebel, [and] renavigate our relationship to those institutions as we prepare to leave the nest.” (06:56)

The Setting: Martha’s Vineyard

• Lockhart’s latest novel, like We Were Liars, is set on Martha’s Vineyard, inspired in part by a real castle-like property she discovered there.
  • Quote: “It was falling apart. It was exquisitely beautiful. And I felt like I had walked into a novel.” (03:01)
• The island’s history, beauty, and danger (think: “raging sea […] full of sharks”) infuse Lockhart's imagination and narratives. (03:17)

Revisiting the We Were Liars Universe

• We Fell Apart exists in the same world as her previous hit, following a new protagonist, Matilda, and her sudden exposure to hidden family and castle life.
  • Summary by Lockhart: “She gets to this kind of incredible property on the island of Martha's Vineyard, and her father is not there. Instead […] is a stepmother she never knew she had, a half brother she never knew she had who's her same age, and two other teenage boys... She kind of gets sucked into the world of life in this castle, which is kind of an alternative life with a lot of big freedoms and big rules.” (02:16)

The Emotional Impact and Appeal

• Lockhart describes the strong reactions—positive and negative—her books elicit from readers, especially visible on social media.
  • Quote: “They either hate this book or this TV show so much, they want to throw it across the room and tell everybody not to read it, or they are breaking down in tears and saying, thank you so much, and also, will you pay for my therapy?” (04:27)
• She argues that novels offer a level of emotional catharsis and investment unmatched by social media.
  • Quote: “We need a book or a longer form drama to give us an emotional catharsis. And people have a big reaction to these books, right? It's not always positive, but they have a big reaction.” (05:05)

Morality, Shame, and Forgiveness

• A recurring theme in Lockhart’s work is grappling with shame and the possibility of self-forgiveness.
  • Quote: “When you've done something you're ashamed of, do you sit under the rug? Do you […] pull everything out and look at it? Can you accept yourself? Can you tell yourself that you're going to change? […] Can you find a place of forgiveness? Or do you carry that weight with you all the time?” (06:00)
• Lockhart frames these questions as fundamental to fiction and to being human, resonant for adults and urgently felt by teens.

Writing for Teens as an Adult

• Lockhart reflects on her sustained interest in writing for young audiences, describing teens as uniquely poised for change and self-discovery.
  • Quote: “When we're very young, [institutions are] just the water that we're swimming in. And as we become teenagers, we begin to question, rebel, renavigate our relationship to those institutions […] we can suddenly see those institutions that shape us, and we're going to emerge into adulthood, you know, choosing our own identity and not just swimming in the water that we've always been in.” (07:14)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the inspiration for setting:
  “If I could say to you the hold that Martha's Vineyard has on my imagination in a simple sentence, I wouldn't have needed to write three novels...” (03:17, E. Lockhart)
• On readers’ reactions:
  “They either hate this book or this TV show so much, they want to throw it across the room and tell everybody not to read it, or they are breaking down in tears and saying, thank you so much, and also, will you pay for my therapy?” (04:27, E. Lockhart)
• On teenagers exploring morality:
  “It's about this problem of being a human being and figuring out a moral compass or a way to be in the world.” (06:34, E. Lockhart)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:02 – Introduction to episode theme and author E. Lockhart
• 01:09 – Recap of We Were Liars success and cultural impact
• 02:16 – Lockhart describes the premise of We Fell Apart
• 03:01 – Martha’s Vineyard and the ‘castle’ inspiration
• 03:17 – The magnetic allure of Martha’s Vineyard as setting
• 04:10 – Why the We Were Liars universe resonates with readers
• 05:31 – Discussing morality, shame, and self-forgiveness
• 06:56 – Reflections on writing about/for teenagers
• 08:08 – Episode close

---

Conclusion

This rich conversation between Juana Summers and E. Lockhart provides insight into Lockhart’s creative inspirations, her fascination with adolescent transformation, and the emotional punch of her novels. The episode serves both as an introduction to We Fell Apart and a deep dive into why YA literature continues to matter for readers of all ages.

Transcript

[Andrew Limbong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. What is it about teenagers that make them fascinating subjects for novels? How many of the great books that you've read focus on those awkward, scary, exciting years? E. Lockhart is a best selling author and she not only writes about teens, but for teens. Her latest novel is titled We Fell Apart. And in this interview with NPR's Juana Summers, she talks about not just what makes teens good characters but but also what makes them good readers. That's ahead.

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Capella University. Interested in a quality online education. Capella is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn [e-mail] this message comes from Bombas.

[Sponsor Advertisement Voice]

Treat your feet right this season with merino wool, cashmere, long staple cotton and more premium materials. Better basics. Visit bombas.com NPR and use code NPR for 20% off your first order.

[Juana Summers]

You may know author E. Lockhart from her bestselling novel, We Were Liars. It came out back in 2014 and the young adult novel became a bestseller. And the story about an affluent family who spent every summer on a fictional island off of Martha's Vineyard gripped new audiences through its Amazon prime series adaptation, which got some big emotional reactions from fans fans online.

[Sponsor Advertisement Voice]

And this ending was insane.

[Andrew Limbong]

Jaw dropped on the floor.

[Sponsor Advertisement Voice]

This is devastating.

[Juana Summers]

I'm far from oh my God. Oh my, oh my God. I can't breathe it. I have full body chills. Those were videos from TikTok users Tyler Conroy, MA0612AllYlikeStoread and @AddyOnDaddy. Now, Lockhart is back with a new novel. It's called We Fell Apart. It traces the story of a young woman named Matilda. She receives a message from the father.

[E. Lockhart]

She'S never met, and she flies cross country and she gets to this kind of incredible property on the island of Martha's Vineyard, and her father is not there. Instead, living in this castle basically is a stepmother she never knew she had, a half brother she never knew she had who's her same age, and two other teenage boys who are living there for various reasons. And she kind of gets sucked into the world of life in this castle, which is kind of an alternative life with a lot of big freedoms and big rules.

[Juana Summers]

We Fell Apart is set in the same world as the original We Were Liars story. But Lockhart didn't always intend for that to be the case until she took a trip to Martha's Vineyard and came upon this Massive castle like property.

[E. Lockhart]

It was falling apart. It was exquisitely beautiful. And I felt like I had walked into a novel. And then I thought, oh, I've walked into a novel that I need to be writing.

[Juana Summers]

I wanted to know what made E. Lockhart want to revisit this world for a third time.

[E. Lockhart]

I mean, honestly, if I could say to you the hold that Martha's Vineyard has on my imagination in a simple sentence, I wouldn't have needed to write three novels. You know, it's a beautiful coastline with a long history. Right. There's also just this raging sea that is terrifying and full of sharks. Right? Like the story of Plymouth Rock and the story of Jaws. Right. These are two of our big Massachusetts stories, and they both have a lot of space in kind of the American Mind. So I think I'm interested in that, right? In the, in the danger and in. In the iconography.

[Juana Summers]

I wonder, what do you think it is about We Were Liars and the universe that you've constructed that has just resonated with so many people over the last decade?

[E. Lockhart]

Well, I don't really think it's the aspirational nature of it, although some people will argue that, right? Some people say, oh, we all want to watch rich people behaving badly. We all want to spend a summer on a fancy private is or on a fancy Martha's Vineyard estate. But I don't think that's what my most passionate readers are coming to. My stories for what they're doing that I can see, you know, anecdotally on TikTok and Instagram and in the comments on my social media is having a big reaction. They either hate this book or this TV show so much, they want to throw it across the room and tell everybody not to read it, or they are breaking down in tears and saying, thank you so much, and also, will you pay for my therapy? You know, we can get so much entertainment from our phones and from those social media channels, but what we don't get is a big emotional investment, right? We can get laughter, we can get, you know, dopamine hits, can go on travel adventures, but we need a book or a longer form drama to give us an emotional catharsis. And people have a big reaction to these books, right? It's not always positive, but they have a big reaction.

[Juana Summers]

These books all also seem to have these sort of big questions about morality at the center of them. What is it about grappling with that that continues to entice you? I'm thinking of this interview that I read with you from, I think, a couple years ago where you talked about how you, your books as well as the show, ask this question of, like, what do you do when you're ashamed of yourself? What do you do when you've done something horrible and whether a person can find forgiveness for themselves?

[E. Lockhart]

Well, I am on ongoing interested in that question, right? When you've done something you're ashamed of, do you sit under the rug? Do you, you know, get into that rug and pull everything out and look at it? Can you accept yourself? Can you tell yourself that you're going to change? You know, can you. Can you find a place of forgiveness? Or do you carry that weight with you all the time? I mean, this is a fundamental question about just being a person, right? I mean, that's what. What fiction is about, Whether it's my fiction or somebody else's fiction, it's about this problem of being a human being and figuring out a moral compass or a way to be in the world.

[Juana Summers]

And I think what really strikes me about that is that across your books, we're talking about young people who are on that journey who still have so much of their lives to live, who are trying to figure out all of those big, heady questions with not so many years of experience under their belts.

[E. Lockhart]

Well, I think one of the reasons I continue, you know, in middle age to be interested in writing about teenagers and for teenagers is that teenagers are in really important and kind of exciting transition in life, right? They are separating from the institution that is their family of origin, that is their schooling, that is their church, that is their sports team, that is, you know, I could name any, you know, a whole lot of other things. Their scout troop, right? There are these institutions that we participate in as young people, and when we're very young, they're just the water that we're swimming in. And as we become teenagers, we begin to question, rebel, renavigate our relationship to those institutions as we prepare to leave the nest or, you know, settle down in there. But we have to navigate that because we can suddenly see those institutions that shape us, and we're going to emerge into adulthood, you know, choosing our own identity and not just swimming in the water that we've always been in.

[Juana Summers]

We've been speaking with Elon. Her new book, we Fell Apart, is out now. Thank you so much.

[Sponsor Advertisement Voice]

Support for this podcast. And the following message come from Strawberry Me. Be honest. Are you happy with your job? Are you stuck in a job you've outgrown or never wanted in the first place? Are your reasons for staying really just excuses for not leaving. Let a career coach from Strawberry Me help you get unstuck, discover the benefits of having a dedicated career coach in your Corner and get 50% off your first coaching session at Strawberry Me.

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

NPR this message comes from Mint Mobile. At Mint Mobile, their favorite word is no. No contracts, no monthly bills, no hidden fees. Plans start at $15. Make the switch at mintmobile.com switch that's mintmobile.com switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month 5GB plan required, equivalent to $15 a month new customer offer for first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details.

[Sponsor Advertisement Voice]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Shopify. No idea where to sell? Shopify puts you in control of every sales channel. It is the commerce platform revolutionizing millions of businesses worldwide. Whether you're a garage entreprene entrepreneur or IPO ready, Shopify is the only tool you need to start, run and grow your business without the struggle. Once you've reached your audience, Shopify has the Internet's best converting checkout to help you turn them from browsers to buyers. Go to Shopify.com NPR to take your business to the next level Today.