SBC Reads: LIAR'S DICE - May 2026
For this month’s SBC Reads spotlight, we travel back in time to 1970s Brazil, a time of political unrest under a far-right military dictatorship. Dolores, an illiterate twelve-year old girl, wakes up one day to find her disabled twin sister gone, sent away to an institution. She resolves to do whatever it takes—lie, cheat, steal, and even learn to read and write—to get her sister back.
The theme of literacy is personal. My mother is illiterate, and I only learned to read and write when I was ten. This novel is a testament to the transformative power of books.
— Juliet Faithfull
Like the protagonist of LIAR’S DICE, debut author Juliet Faithfull had an identical twin sister with cerebral palsy, who was institutionalized. She writes, “At the time, doctors often recommended this as the best ‘solution.’ I wanted to put someone like my twin, Margarita, on the page and in the world, instead of hiding her away. . . . Ideally, this novel will spark conversations about our history of institutionalizing children with disabilities and allow for a thawing of the frozen grief that often surrounds their stories.”
LIAR’S DICE captures the precarious intensity of coming of age in a volatile time—when repression and silence are the fabric of everyday life—and the cost of family secrets. Heartrending and tender, the novel is a testament to the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.
Meet the author on tour
Visit julietfaithfull.com to learn more about the book and get tickets to meet Juliet on tour! Download a Book Club Guide to read a letter from the author and find a playlist of Brazilian music inspired by the book.
