Have you read None of This is True by Lisa Jewell and are looking for a plot summary, a list of characters, or a place to discuss all your thoughts and questions? Check out my Spoiler Discussion for None of This is True! Edited to add even more of your questions and theories AND a comment from the author! And don’t miss Lisa Jewell’s brand new bestselling book, Don’t Let Him In!
Spoiler Discussion for None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
This book doesn’t seem to have a super-complicated plot, but then … it does. There are SO MANY questions at the end. This post will include:
Plot Summary for None of This is True
What Was the Ending of None of This is True?
Character List for None of This is True
Spoiler Discussion Questions for None of This is True:
- Who Killed Brooke?
- Was Josie A Victim or a Villain?
- What Did Josie Mean By “Making Changes in Her Life?
- A link to the bonus extra chapter released in 2024!
Plot Summary for None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
“Birthday twins” Josie Fine and Alix Summer Meet
Josie Fine is celebrating her 45th birthday in a local pub with her husband, Walter. There is another birthday celebration that night, a large and festive group celebrating the birthday of podcaster/journalist Alix Summer.
Alix and Josie meet up in the ladies room and learn that they were born on the same day at the same hospital.
Alix Agrees to Have Josie on Her Podcast
Alix has a podcast on women who have overcome hardships in their lives. Josie engineers a meeting with Alix outside her children’s school and asks if they can meet.
Josie then pitches herself as a twist on Alix’s usual podcast topic: she is a woman about to make big changes in her life.
Josie presents her “hook.” She met Walter, her current husband, when she was 15 and he was 42 and married. Josie insists she wanted to be with Walter and there was no coercion.
Alix, an upper middle class mom of two, is shocked. But her life is hardly perfect. Her husband, Nathan, seems to be suffering some kind of midlife crisis and stays out all night, drinking with his friends. Alix decides she could use also a change, and agrees to have Josie on her podcast.
There are many red flags surrounding Josie. Nathan shows Alix footage from their doorbell camera of Josie rifling through their recycling and stealing things. But Alix is determined to stick with her project.
Alix invites Josie and Walter over for dinner. Nathan is supposed to be there but again is out drinking. Josie is disapproving and suggests that Alix would be better off without Nathan.
Josie Claims Walter Attacked Her
In the middle of the night, Josie shows up at Alix’s house, claiming that Walter attacked her. Alix invites her to stay over. Nathan is somewhat disapproving of this.
Alix questions the school secretary about Josie, as their kids attended the same school. She also talks to the son of a neighbor, who is around Josie’s kids age. Both say that Josie and her family are very troubled. (This will turn out to be the best read on the situation in the whole book!)
What Happened to Brooke?
Josie claims, in an interview with Alix, that Walter slept with one of her daughter’s friends, Brooke.
While making Josie’s bed at her house, Alix finds a bloodstained key. She also discovers that Brooke went missing years before.
Alix and Nathan both tell Josie that she will have to leave their house, as Alix’s sisters are coming to stay. Josie does not take the news well, but does eventually leave.
When Nathan again goes out to meet friends, Josie follows him and overhears him complain about his “houseguest from hell.” Josie asks a co-worker to show up at the pub and try to lure Nathan to a hotel.
Both Josie and Nathan Disappear
Nathan goes missing. Josie also vanishes.
Alix gets a call from a hotel saying that her husband stayed there and trashed his room. A frantic Alix goes to the hotel, discovering links between her husband’s disappearance and Josie’s daughter Erin. She goes to the police, who head to the Fine home and find Walter’s body in Josie’s bathtub and Erin tied to a chair, unconscious.
The police call and say that Josie’s elder daughter, Roxy, has been located. Roxy claims that she was in love with Brooke and that her father never harmed anyone.
Pat (Josie’s mother) tells Alix that she was the one dating Walter, but then her teenage daughter Josie seduced him.
Alix goes back and listens to her interviews with Josie, who tells her that she’d be better off without her husband.
What Was the Ending of None of This is True?
The police find Nathan’s body.
Erin regains consciousness. She asks Roxy what happened.
Roxy says she will tell Erin, “word for word.”
Alix gives the key she found to the police, who discover Brooke’s body in a garage on Josie and Walter’s property.
Erin is interviewed by Alix and says that her mother used to tell lies, kept the girls from their grandmother, and kept Walter from contacting his other children.
Erin recounts that the night Brooke died, Josie and Brooke were fighting. Erin went back to her room and heard signs of a struggle and violence.
Erin recovers and moves in with her sister. Josie is still on the run. She sends Alix a letter claiming that Nathan’s death was a accident.
Alix and her children try to move on.
Josie reflects that it was Roxy who killed Brooke, and that Josie was just protecting her.
Character List for None of This is True
- Josie Fair: birthday twin to Alix
- Walter: Josie’s husband
- Roxy and Erin: Josie’s adult children
- Pat O’Neill: Josie’s mother
- Alexis “Alix” Summer: podcaster
- Nathan: Alix’s husband
- Zoe and Maxine: Alix’s sisters
- Leon and Eliza: Alix’s children
- Giovanni “Gio:” friend of Nathan
- Katelyn Rand: friend of Josie
- Sabrina Albright: DC (detective constable) in charge of the case
Spoiler Discussion Questions for None of This is True
I am editing this post in real time to reflect all your theories in the comments. Check back for future developments or subscribe to comments!
Lisa Jewell has left a comment! I don’t have a way to pin her comment, but you can sort comments by date.
Here are my questions from the book + many of yours!
First off, is Josie in One of This is True a victim or a psychopath? Or both?
After reading the comments on this post (which I highly recommend) I am realizing that Josie is like an optical illusion. Like that 2015 dress that some people were positive was white and gold and others insisted was blue and black.
While I can’t agree that Josie didn’t do anything wrong, reading your comments has made me see that some of what she says (or thinks) is true.
In my opinion, Josie’s pattern is to become fixated on people (like Walter, Alix) and then get jealous of people who get in the way of her “relationships.”
Josie also wants to be the only one to set the narrative. She doesn’t want Alix talking to anyone but her. Not her mother, not Walter, not Brooke or her daughters.
And I do think she was responsible for Walter’s death and for Nathan’s.
Let’s take these questions one by one and PLEASE give me your take in the comments. Make your case and I am open to changing my mind!
Was Josie groomed and abused by Walter?
Walter is not a great guy. In the very best case scenario, he was a married forty-something man who left his wife and children to marry an eighteen year-old. He admits that there was a ten year age gap between him and his first wife, and there was a nearly twenty-year age gap between Josie and Walter.
If Pat is telling the truth about being involved with Walter before Josie, then Walter did have a more age-appropriate relationship with Pat.
I think that there is definitely an argument that Walter was a groomer/abuser of Josie. Josie denies this in her June 20 interview, but I think that is a common perception of abuse victims.
But I’m not sure there is enough evidence to say that Walter was either sleeping with Brooke or abusing Erin. More on my theories on that below.
Who Killed Brooke in None of This Is True?
I was on board with Josie killing Brooke but based on your comments I now think it might have been both Walter and Josie together.
EDITED: Nope, Lisa Jewell, in this Shondaland interview, suggests it was Roxy!
In Erin’s Netflix interview, she says that Josie was jealous of Brooke’s relationship with Roxy. When Roxy ran away, Brooke told Josie that Roxy was running away from her and didn’t love her. Then, according to Erin, there were noises, of a struggle and violence. BUT (as it’s pointed out in comments) this story could have been fed to Erin (who is rather naive and impressionable) by Roxy.
Did Walter sleep with Brooke?
Josie says this happened and given Walter’s history, it’s possible. BUT Brooke was 16 at the time and (if my math is correct) that would have made Walter 65.
So I’m skeptical. Walter is (sorry) a bit weird and, like Josie, seems beaten down by life. Brooke’s mom says how “bolshy” (feisty) she was. I just don’t see it.
Plus, if this were the case, why wouldn’t Roxy be furious at Walter as well as Brooke? Clearly she is not at ALL angry with him. I’m voting no, but what do you think?
What was the cause of the violent argument between Roxy and Brooke?
Josie said that Roxy hit Brooke when she found out that Brooke slept with Walter. Roxy says it was because Brooke said something derogatory about Erin. To me, neither is credible.
I think maybe Roxy was upset because she had introduced Brooke to her family as her girlfriend, while Brooke’s family didn’t know anything about Roxy. But that’s just a wild theory.
My (and Your) Theories on Who Killed Brooke
Great theories below, but Lisa Jewell’s interview, linked above, suggests that Roxy killed Brooke.
Also in the bonus chapter, Roxy admits that she flew into a rage when Brooke went to the prom without her. Erin believes that is when Roxy killed Brooke
Just for posterity, here were our theories before Lisa Jewell set the record straight.
I was convinced that Roxy did NOT kill Brooke. Yes, Roxy definitely had violent tendencies. But according to Erin, Roxy wasn’t home at the time and I don’t think Erin has a reason to lie about that. It’s more risky for Erin to blame her parents. (For the record, I was wrong about this!! And Erin is clearly more scared of Roxy.)
I thought Walter and Josie were both involved. Josie’s mother says that Walter and Josie are “both as bad as each other.” (I guess I was right about this at least.)
Maybe Walter had been rejected by Brooke and/or Josie was jealous of Brooke’s closeness to Roxy. Maybe Josie fixated on Brooke the same way she did on Alix (someone makes the excellent point in comments that Josie tends to steal things from people she’s obsessed with, and she stole Brooke’s phone case).
Dapple (in comments) has a really intriguing theory on Brooke: that Josie killed Brooke and then told Walter that Roxy did it. Walter, wanting to protect Roxy, helped Josie hide the body. That would explain a) what Erin heard, b) Walter not wanting to go to the police and c) Josie saying she has to tell Alix “what we did,” meaning she wanted to tell Alix that they covered up Roxy’s crime. I like this theory a lot, even though it’s isn’t what the author intended.
Who Killed Walter in None of This is True?
Again, Erin says it was her mother Josie. I’m not sure who else it could be.
Erin says that Walter and Josie fought, and when Erin came into the room, Walter was lying on the floor bleeding. Josie refused to call an ambulance. Then Erin hit her mother (which is why Josie ended up looking battered at Alix’s.) When Erin woke up, she was tied to a chair.
Josie could say that she was suffering from battered woman syndrome, but why tie her daughter to a chair, the daughter she claims was being abused by Walter? To me, this shows Josie was lying.
Could Roxy have killed Walter and Erin?
I don’t think so. After Josie flees the scene of whatever happened, Alix repeatedly asks Josie if Erin is okay and Josie says she is.
Who Killed Nathan in None of This is True?
We all agree that it was Josie, right? Any other plausible theories?
Josie claims she didn’t mean to do it. That she got Katelyn to get Nathan to the hotel room, then she kidnapped Nathan, gave him too much sedative and he died. But why did she kidnap him in the first place? Just getting him to do drugs in a hotel room with a strange blond woman should have been enough to get Alix to dump him.
Plus she had all those weird conversations with Alix about how much better off she’d be if he was dead. So I’m not sure I buy her story that it was an accident.
What was Josie’s Endgame?
Let’s think back to what Josie says when she first meets Alix and is trying to get on her podcast. She says that she’s been living the same life for thirty years and if she doesn’t break free of the past now, when will she?
Josie tells Alix she is planning “big changes.” Did that mean ditching her current family? If that was what she meant, she could just run off and leave Erin with Walter. By killing Walter, she’s the only caretaker left for Erin.
Was Josie’s plan to confess to Alix about covering up Brooke’s murder (she does present this idea to Walter, but he rejects the idea. Is this why she kills him?
I have to say that if I had covered up a murder five years ago, the very LAST thing I’d want to do would be to go on a podcast to talk about breaking free from my past. Unless I either wanted to confess or to be notorious.
What is your take on the ending of None of This is True?
Maybe you have sympathy for Josie? Many people in comments do! She did marry Walter too young, and her children were challenging, and I think her life was not what she hoped it would be. She’s envious to Alix, who seems to have a perfect life (except for Nathan.)
By the end, Alix calls Josie evil. I think what she did to Nathan and Erin was definitely evil. What do you think? Is Josie a victim or a villain?
In one of her interviews with Alix, Josie does reference the “clean break” that one of Alix’s podcast guests discusses. The guest says death can be a clean break.
Is this why Josie killed both her husband and Alix’s husband? To give them both a clean break? In her twisted mind, she thought she was doing Alix a favor.
Is none of this really true?
Why did Alix miss at so many red flags about Josie?
As I was writing up the summary, I realized how many there were. Yes, some of the interview transcripts were after the fact, but Josie was stealing things on camera. She was sneaking around. Her own mother said she was a liar. Nathan didn’t like her. She was clearly trying to undermine Alix’s marriage and get Nathan out of the way.
Alix felt a little smug, I think, about her perfect life and she makes a good foil for Josie, whose life is so chaotic.
Did you have other theories?
The plot of None of This is True was more straightforward than I thought and yet leaves us with many questions. I was expecting a twist, but I think it was a story about narrative. Who controls it. Who is more believable. How hard it can be to reconcile different versions of events.
Spill the tea, Fred!!! We know that you have all the answers!
Talk to me in comments and I will add your thoughts and questions to the post!
And check out my Reader’s Guide to Lisa Jewell’s new book, Don’t Let Him in!
I listened to this on Audible, finished it about an hour or so ago. I then did something that I’ve only done once before; returned it.
The ending really let me whole story down. It had so much promise, and I was waiting for a big twist (the real Josie having been killed years before, or Josie taking Alix’s place or something), but no. Alex sold it to Netflix (? Really?! She’s got a funny way of showing her guilt and sorrow for the murder of her husband, which only happened because she brought Josie into their lives), and Josie was never recognised?! After being on Netflix? Really?!
Lazy story.
Hi Kath! I liked the book but I agree that I was definitely expecting some big twist or reveal. And I agree about Alix. She was an odd one as well!
Honestly wondered if Josie would go back and get Leon for one reason or another and then a showdown between Josie and Alix. Was hoping for Josie to be caught and brought to justice.
It feels like there are many plot mistakes in this summary – ex, it says Josie is out with her husband Nathan (but he’s Alix’s husband). It says “one night Josie shows up…” but it’s the same night of the dinner party. It also says Josie turned over the key to the police, but it was Alix who did because Josie left the key behind and disappeared.
I agree with other commenters – the ending was a bit of a letdown. I was expecting a bit of the twist like there was but I expected more loose ends to be tied up with that twist. While the twist explains some things (such as when Josie says to Walter the night of the attack that she wants to tell Alix about “what they did with the girls” but it doesn’t explain Nathan, or why the credit cards were in Erin’s name, or at least it doesn’t logically explain these things.
Thanks for pointing out the typos – always appreciated!
Based on her other books, I also didn’t expect this to be as straightforward, plot-wise. I did enjoy it, though!
It did explain the credit (or more likely debit) cards. Walter opened Erin start her own bank account when she began making money on “Glitch” with her gaming. All the proceeds she made went there and it said she made quite a bit of money from it, especially once Walter started joining her for them. It’s implied Josie stole said debit cards when she tied Erin up.
Thanks so much for that. Yes, that does make sense.
Just finished this on Audible. It was enjoyable and kept me going through hours of chores. One thing struck me though – Alix seems to favour her son, Leon, over her daughter. There are so many more interactions between Leon and Alix than there are with her daughter. Does she have a complicated relationship there too?
I didn’t notice that but that is an interesting observation!
For a brief moment, I considered that maybe it was a split personality scenario; due to the similarities as well as the differences (both married, 2 children each that went to the same school, born at the same hospital, etc, but one was well off and and the other was not)
Ooh, that would have been really interesting. I felt like the coincidences had to have significance (like they were switched at the hospital, or fraternal twins who were split up at birth) and then was kind of disappointed that they didn’t. I guess it was just a device that served to bond them more than if they had just shared a birthday.
I thought there would be a twist where Alix was behind Nathan’s murder and used Josie but nope. I enjoyed the book & it really speaks to being taken advantage of by a sociopath. If you’ve been there, this hits home.
Same, Tiffany! I did like this book and agree that it was an excellent portrayal of a sociopathic personality. But I was sure that there would be some kind of surprising twist rather than ending with Alix being a victim. Not to victim-blame, but Alix is a podcaster and an interviewer who is used to analyzing people and it seemed like she would have encountered someone like this. Like you say, once you encounter someone like this who is a pathological liar and manipulator, you tend to have your guard up after that.
The phone case. That no one recognized. Where did it come from? Did I miss that part?
When the police asked Alix to look at the things they found at Josie’s house? No, I don’t think it was ever revealed who the case belonged to. Brooke’s mom and Josie’s kids didn’t recognize it. Since Josie was sort of a kleptomaniac (or a sociopath who takes trophies) I guess it belonged to another of Josie’s victims, someone she stalked or even harmed.
WHOS PHONE CASE WAS IT
I don’t think we are supposed to know – it could be that Josie has killed before. Or it’s possibly just something she stole (as she’s a kleptomaniac as well.)
It is Brooke’s phonecase it is mentioned here
No, Brooke’s family confirmed it wasn’t hers. The police officer said they didn’t know who it belonged to.
Yes, I checked my copy and I agree with Birdy. Brooke’s family told the police they did not recognize it and they have no reason to lie.
I could be misremembering but I think when Josie was thinking of the trinkets in her drawer, she thought of the things she had “from the others” which makes me think she had to have more victims! I also expected more of a twist at the end but I kind of enjoyed how this book left things for the reader to interpret. It makes for a good discussion!
I was so mad at Alix’s attitude in the end. Her stupid self got Nathan killed by continuing to deal with someone who exhibited so many red flags- the lying, dependency, admission of not protecting her own child from abuse (true or not) and lack of feelings. She kept her in her home around her children for the sake of a story. Alix did not protect her family. I wanted to hear her admit some culpability. She’s bragging on her viral podcast and blaming Caitlyn in the end.
I agree. I’m not from the UK but I was a bit surprised at how quickly Alix let a total stranger into her life and her home. I thought Brits were more reserved.
Not to mention letting Josie’s daughter and mother in her home immediately after!
Great points!
I feel like the phone case alluded to another unknown victim. Roxy did not kill Brooke. Josie is clearly a psychopathic murderer. Her convincing herself that Roxy killed Brooke proved what Walter and Pat said about her skewing her own version of reality. The ladies talking in the bus at the end is a lot of true crime spectators….despite the facts they are told, they are convinced there is more to the story and that she didn’t act alone. Erin did not cover for Roxie because Josie is clearly the capable one. We know Walter wasn’t molesting Erin because there was an audience watching him interact with her. Alix was flakey and shallow, but she was pretty much self-aware of that. I knew from jump Josie was crazy and had probably lied about her birthday and somehow targeted Alix before the dinner because she went home and googled Alix Summer when Alix had not told her her last name. She had been creeping on her before just like she did Roxie. I wish Jewell would’ve delved into the connection Josie made to Alix before the birthday dinner.
Agree about the phone case. I read the first chapter again and when Alix comes in to the restaurant, she does say her last name, “in a voice that carries.” But that doesn’t mean Josie wasn’t following her beforehand. I don’t think Alix tells Josie her name at all when they first meet.
These are great points! This is why I like this book for a book club pick! So much to discuss!
No, Roxy did indeed kill Brooke. If you remember, Josie and Walter had a fight about her not telling the truth about something. Walter freaked out saying she would get them all in jain. We were led to believe it was about him abusing the kids, but actually it was Brooke’s murder.
I see why you could think this (as some characters say that Roxy was violent) but I disagree.
In Erin’s Netflix interview, she pretty much says that her mother killed Brooke.
Josie was jealous of Brooke’s relationship with Roxy (just as Josie was jealous of her mother Pat’s relationship with Walter, and Alix’s relationship with Nathan). This is Josie’s pattern and why I think she killed both Brooke and Nathan.
In her Netflix interview, Erin says that Roxy had run away and Brooke told Josie, “she was running away from you.”
Then Josie smacked Brooke across the face and Brooke said the worst thing she could to Josie: that Roxy doesn’t love her. Then Erin hears sounds of struggle/violence and hides because she’s scared. Roxy wasn’t even there, as she’d run away, so it couldn’t have been her.
I think what Walter meant was the cover-up of the murder. By helping Josie hide Brooke’s body, he’s part of the crime.
But that is assuming Erin is telling the truth… and as the title of the book says… none of this is true. Ultimately it is left up to the reader to decide who in that family is telling the truth. The only one it seems we can trust is Alex
That is a fair point and maybe you find Josie more believable than Roxy. To me, Erin is a more neutral party with no reason to lie. And I think Alix is lying to herself at least! She definitely played her part in this whole twisted drama.
So do you think Josie is guilty of anything? Do you think she is responsible for Nathan’s death?
Have you read Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney? I just re-read it and to me, it’s the most crazy liar-themed book I have read. I’d really love to discuss that one with you or anyone else who is interested. I just put up a spoiler discussion.
Erin : “Our mother didn’t want our dad to like us and she didn’t want us to like him. She wanted him all to herself and she wanted us all to herself. She wasn’t happy when we went to him or had fun with him or loved him. She wasn’t happy when he was with us and tried to show us any love or affection. She controlled every element of our relationship with our father and his with us. It became worse and worse as we got older and older. When we tried to bring friends home, she would make them feel really unwelcome.”
I think this passage is extremely ambiguous. It could either be the proof of Josie’s controlling nature, or the proof that there was really incest going on in their household, and Josie was trying to protect the girls from her husband. Note the terms used by Erin: “fun”, “love”, “affection”. All terms that could be used for a mixed up incestuous relationship. She also doesn’t say “She controlled every element of our lives” but “She controlled every element of our relationship with our father”.
Also this passage, where Erin’s co-players talk about her:
”Yeah. I guess. I mean – she was amazing. We just knew her as her player name. Erased.’
[…] But we didn’t know anything about her real life. She was just Erased to us.
[…]And she disappeared and it was all kind of a blur, because of the green screen. You know how it messes with movement?
Nobody knew anything about her.”
I think this part is real proof that the whole “Dad played computer games online with her in the middle of the night” is false. Otherwise they would have mentioned it and not said “Nobody knew anything about her”. And, according to Roxy, they were known online as Erased and Pops, here it’s literally stated “She was just Erased to us”. Also, the green screen messing with movement, as apparently Walter was rather animated behind her when she played, which would have messed up her video streams.
Wow, that is so interesting. Thanks also for the quotes as then I don’t have to go back and re-read. I think the ambiguity of the book is the best part but also, as a mystery reader who loves answers and a conclusion, the most frustrating.
Maybe, as in many situations in real life, the readers interprets the story based on their own life experiences.
I mean, it really WAS Josie’s birthday. That’s why she and Walter were at the restaurant to begin with in the first chapter. Even Pat stated when Josie’s birthday was, and that would have been a fairly easy thing to uncover early on if Josie had been lying about that. She heard Alix’s name due to the guests at the party being rather loud, and when Alix gave her name for the reservation.
Josie is definitely a kleptomaniac and a pathological liar, but there were just enough actual truths about her life mixed in. It’s why Alix didn’t immediately question everything.
I’m confused with the ending 😩
Hi!
I think it’s somewhat open to interpretation but most of us seem to think that Josie is a psychopath who uses and sometimes kills people and then pretends it was justified in some twisted way. I guess she gets away with it … for now.
Agreed. She confesses in her letter that she had “done nothing wrong by kidnapping and drugging Nathan” and oopsie, she killed him on accident, like it was a simple mistake. And then her inner dialogue at the end once again alludes to her “never doing anything wrong/bad.” She “remembers” everything in a way that allows her to live with herself, as a true narcissist would.
Me too Elyce!!! Did Roxy kill Brooke or not???