To Name the Bigger Lie

A Memoir in Two Stories

By: Sarah Viren

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Part coming-of-age story, part psychological thriller, part philosophical investigation, this unforgettable memoir traces the ramifications of a series of lies that threaten to derail the author’s life—exploring the line between truth and deception, fact and fiction, and reality and conspiracy.

Sarah’s story begins as she’s researching what she believes will be a book about her high school philosophy teacher, a charismatic instructor who taught her and her classmates to question everything—in the end, even the reality of historical atrocities. As she digs into the effects of his teachings, her life takes a turn into the fantastical when her wife, Marta, is notified that she’s been investigated for sexual misconduct at the university where they both teach.

Based in part on a viral New York Times essay, To Name the Bigger Lie follows the investigation as it upends Sarah’s understanding of truth. She knows the claims made against Marta must be lies, and as she uncovers the identity of the person behind them and then tries, with increasing desperation, to prove their innocence, she’s drawn back into the questions that her teacher inspired all those years ago: about the nature of truth, the value of skepticism, and the stakes we all have in getting the story right.

A compelling, incisive journey into honesty and betrayal, this memoir explores the powerful pull of dangerous conspiracy theories and the pliability of personal narratives in a world dominated by hoaxes and fakes. To Name the Bigger Lie reads like the best of psychological thrillers—made all the more riveting because it’s true.

©2022 Sarah Viren (P)2022 Simon & Schuster Audio

I wanted to love this book

Sarah Viren's story is in two parts. The first is about a teacher at her magnet high school program, and his strong personality and opinions that influenced her and some of her clasmates. The second is about her wife being falsely accused of sexual misconduct. I am fascinated by cults of personality and also by the ways we navigate this new world of access and accusations, so i preordered this book.

However, Ms. Viren's efforts to figure out how combine these two tales into one fell flat for me. It was never clear to me where the segments about her teacher and her high school were going, or why she looked her classmates up decades later. The second half of the book worked much better then the first, and the narrator did a fine job, but ultimately I gave up on this book.

Very good read

Very well written. I loved the whole book until the end. Something about the last chapter seemed out of place. But I enjoyed the rest of the book very much.

Love this

A complicated and rewarding and rigorous exploration into truth and conspiracy theories. I loved it

the questions at the heart of this book…

…are deeply and intelligently explored with true storytelling prowess. The author gleans perspective and meaning in a nightmare.

It started great and then…

So I wanted to love this book. And it started so good. I love the story telling. I was immersed in the story. But then like into the third part of the book, I don’t know what the hell happened. It was like I was listening a different story. Imaginary dialogues between the author and characters. I got lost and lost all interest. I rally don’t know how it ended.

The lengths a human is willing to go to cover up their own hole! Unbelieveable!

The author does a fantastic job of correlating her past and present as her family falls under attack of a vindictive acquaintance. In turn, questioning the truths and lessons she had believed and learned from throughout her life. This story was unremarkable to learn the lengths envious, insecure and vindictive people will go through to bring not just a person but their family down as well!
A must read! a definite page turner for me!

The This American Life story was better than the book

Felt like the author was really stretching these two stories to make them book length. The final third is self indulgent and boring. There’s almost zero plot, just her making sense of things via philosophical arguments she imagines. It could have been edited down to a page or two of reflection and been a much better book.

White feminist victimhood

TW: SA

There’s no doubt that Viren is well-read and a skilled wordsmith, but this book exemplified White feminist victimhood. While the author attempts to examine power and patriarchy through philosophy, anecdotes about an anti-Semitic and homophobic teacher, and the story of false SA claims against her wife, she NEVER acknowledges her privilege and complicity in these events.
This book felt therapeutic for the author to write— in it, she explores every time she has been made to feel lesser-than, ostracized, or disrespected. I am highly empathetic to her trauma, and I am glad she was able to tell her story, BUT I do NOT think it was responsible to publish this book as it is. Unfortunately, it completely ignores the fact that she is a privileged, cis white lady who grew up wealthy, was raised by academics, went to a college prep school, felt entitled to her place in academia, and surrounded her adult self with mostly white academics. To then publish a text that positions her as a victim of a false accusation, and to go to great lengths to prove that the accusation was part of a conspiracy, furthers the idea that MANY accusations of misconduct are false. I know this wasn’t her intent, but it is the inevitable impact of this book. There is also NO POINT in this book where she genuinely depicts herself as anything other than an innocent victim. Even when she “stands up” to her teacher’s anti-semitism, it never goes beyond virtue signaling.
This one should have stayed in the drafts.

Building to nothing

It shouldn't have been a book but an essay, there are better options for short stories

Unimpressive

I saw the reviews indicating that the book has little plot, mostly philosophical musings. I purchased anyway, as I tend to like memoirists’ musings. The problem is that Viren’s are not provocative. The book lacks plot and profundity. Without either, there is little to recommend.