Little Liar

e Olivia was unable to save her baby brother from starving to death, she is determined to save Malachi, her other brother. Olivia’s narration also shows that she feels torn between her love and gratitude toward her parents and her affinity for the difficult Malachi. Sometimes, her inner conflict and Jennifer’s pressure cause Olivia to experience panic attacks.

In terms of archetypes, Olivia is a combination of the “beauty” of the “beauty and the beast” trope and the merciful saving angel. She sees the inner goodness in Malachi and therefore persists with him despite his violence toward her. Although it could be argued that Olivia confuses Malachi’s problematic, abusive behavior with overwhelming, obsessive love, she frequently asserts her boundaries with him. For instance, she insists that they go on a romantic date so that she can see if they are really compatible or simply “trauma bonding […] latching onto each other” because fate threw them together (203). Olivia’s relevant questions about her relationship with Malachi indicate that she has both self-awareness and intuition. 

Olivia’s character arc involves outgrowing her desire to please others and carving out her own identity through boundaries. She must realize the truth about Jennifer and see her mother’s grooming attempts for what they are. As the novel ends, Olivia breaks away from Jennifer and also understands the full extent of her own love for Malachi. After Sebastien and Malachi rescue Olivia from Reznikov manor, Olivia initiates sex with Malachi, approaching him on her own terms and asserting her agency. Becoming a maternal figure for her foster sister, Molly, and a mother to Isaac accelerate Olivia’s transformation into independence. The changes in Olivia show that she is a dynamic, round character.

Jamieson, a criminal defense attorney, is the patriarch of the Vize family. It is through his work that Jamieson comes across the files of Malachi, Olivia, and Molly. In the main timeline, Jamieson is in his early sixties; has thick, white hair; and walks with the help of a cane. After Malachi beats him, Jamieson is left with permanent memory loss and walking difficulties. He has little memory of what led to Malachi’s attack, when he tried to stop Malachi from performing oral sex on Olivia. 

Like Olivia, Jamieson has an exaggerated savior impulse, which is why he adopts children with troubled pasts like Olivia, Malachi, and Molly. However, once the children are in his house, Jamieson is not, in many ways, an ideal parent. Malachi’s narration indicates that Jamieson often yells at him and threatens him for getting too close to Olivia and has hit him in the past. Although Jamieson does try to protect Olivia from his wife Jennifer’s arranged marriage scheme, he frequently gives in to his wife. Despite his best intentions, the short-tempered Jamieson is far from an ideal parent in the first half of the novel.

However, in the second half of the novel, Jamieson learns from his mistakes. Although the trauma and abuse that Malachi experienced as a child has had lasting physical and mental impacts, Jamieson helps him, accepts his relationship with Olivia, and finally confronts Jennifer for her attempts to sell Olivia. Jamieson was not initially keen on being an adoptive father: He was wary about loving children who were not biologically his own. However, despite his initial misgivings, it is Jamieson who grows into a true parent for his children, highlighting the importance of found families. As the plot accelerates, Jamieson is decisive and dynamic, standing up to the Reznikovs for his children’s sake. He sustains a bullet wound to save Olivia and watches over Malachi when he is in a coma. Malachi is awestruck by Jamieson’s propensity for forgiveness and is inspired to commit to his own mental and emotional growth as a result. After Olivia’s unadulterated love, it is Jamieson’s kindness that catalyzes Malachi’s redemption arc. Because Jamieson transforms throughout the text, he is a dynamic character.

Jennifer is an antagonistic character with few redeeming qualities. She is in her late fifties or early sixties in the main timeline and described as beautiful, with thick, gray hair that she colors blonde. An esteemed judge and an educated, wealthy woman, Jennifer holds archaic ideas about marriage; for instance, she believes that women must marry young into wealth to secure their future, a notion that contradicts her status as an independent woman with a career. As the plot evolves, it is revealed that Jennifer’s true purpose in arranging a marriage for Olivia is to procure wealth—she accepts $13 million from the Reznikovs in exchange for Olivia. The contradictions in Jennifer’s portrayal paint the picture of a woman who was an idealist to begin with but grew corrupt through her desire to control others and her greed for money.

The most problematic aspect of Jennifer’s character is her manipulation of Olivia, which is depicted in an even harsher light than Malachi’s violence because she uses her authority as a parent to subjugate Olivia. Whenever Jennifer needs her daughter’s agreement, she mentions her “rescue” of Olivia to get her daughter to her bidding. Jennifer believes that Olivia owes her everything because she saved her from the foster care system. Symbolically, Jennifer represents a predatory parent who wants to subsume their children for their self-interest. In the last Epilogue, Malachi hints that he has killed and buried Jennifer, thus ensuring that Olivia is free from her forever. The violent action represents the deliverance of justice and a righting of wrongs.

Molly is around 15 years old in the current timeline. She is described as short, sheltered, and “hyperactive,” with Malachi comparing her to an excitable puppy. The Vizes adopt Molly when she was five years old, and, like Malachi and Olivia, she has experienced childhood trauma. Molly’s biological parents had substance use disorders, and she was found by social workers with drugs in her system. Jamieson, a criminal defense attorney, came across her case when Molly’s biological mother pressed rape charges against Molly’s father. In narrative terms, Molly represents renewed hope and second chances for all the rest of the Vizes: She gives Jamieson and Jennifer the chance to be better parents and Olivia and Malachi the chance to be better older siblings.

Molly is deeply attached to Jamieson and Olivia and has a deep curiosity and zest for life. For instance, she immediately wants to get to know Malachi better and takes to his spiders, asking several questions. Molly also represents hope and the future, as she is able to escape the baggage of the Vize family. Olivia notes that Molly does not disapprove of her and Malachi’s romantic relationship, accepting her older siblings as they are. She develops independent relationships with Malachi, his pets, and Isaac. At the end of the novel, Malachi notes that Molly is like a daughter to him and Olivia.

Olivia’s best friend since they were 13, Abigail is pretty and petite and has spiky purple hair. Olivia refers to Abigail as “Abbi” and describes her as outgoing, extroverted, and funny, a foil for the quieter, more reflective Olivia. Abigail is fiercely protective of Olivia and skeptical about her romantic relationship with Malachi. However, despite her skepticism, Abigail does not judge Olivia for her desire for Malachi or their unconventional sex life. Bold and courageous, Abigail is not afraid of speaking her mind before the brooding Malachi or even interrupting him as he has sex with Olivia. 

Abigail represents a sanctuary for Olivia and provides irreverent humor and comic relief in the text. She is also shown to be in a mysterious relationship with the Reznikov brothers, hinting at another book. As Little Liar ends, Malachi describes Abigail accompanying “a Reznikov brother” to Scotland, though he leaves out the brother’s identity, setting up Abigail for her own romantic plot.

Tall and brown-haired, Xander is the brother of Adryx and the son of wealthy and corrupt Igor Reznikov. Xander is contracted to marry Olivia and produce an heir for his father’s bloodline. He seems like a villainous character when he is introduced, sending Olivia messages threatening to expose her illicit love for Malachi. However, a twist reveals that Xander is not truly antagonistic; he is being forced to pursue Olivia by Igor. 

Although Xander finds it difficult to stand up to Igor, he helps Olivia escape Reznikov manor after Igor kidnaps her. Xander and Igor’s relationship mirrors that between Olivia and Jennifer. In both cases, the characters struggle against a dominant parent. Xander’s brother, Adryx, kills Igor at the end of the novel, signaling a new beginning for them.