Michelle Hébert |
Writer
A courageous and compelling memoir about one woman's experience with dissociative PTSD, for readers of Gisèle Pelicot and Sarah Polley.
Coming 15 September 2026.
Pre-order now, wherever you buy books!
On paper, Michelle Hébert was a successful, high-functioning woman. A former social worker turned government executive, a mother of two, a wife, a published author. But there was a secret about her that nobody knew—one that her own brain was trying to keep from her. One that was destroying her from the inside out. Why couldn't she recognize herself in mirrors? Why did her mind disconnect from her body for long periods, leaving her to deal with decisions she made while she was dissociated—like finding herself walking down the aisle at a wedding she didn't remember planning? Why couldn't she shake the gnawing fear that something was very wrong with her brain, or that she'd done something terrible?
A mystery disguised as a memoir, this deeply layered story of complex trauma takes readers on one woman's search for decades of memories lost. Gaslighted by misogyny and a broken health-care system, and forced to reinvent herself over and over again, Michelle must piece together the fragments of her past to uncover what happened one August afternoon in the 1980s.
A sometimes heartbreaking, often darkly humorous, and ultimately redemptive memoir of identity, resilience, and resistance, and a compelling testament to the lengths our brains will go to protect us, A Good Girl's Guide to Lying is a powerful reminder that it's never too late to become who you really are.
Advance Praise for A Good Girl's Guide to Lying
“A Good Girl’s Guide to Lying is a masterful telling of a devastating truth, but also a testament to the strength of women—and Hébert in particular—in a world that consistently seeks to silence us. Layered, brilliant, and powerful, Hébert will break your heart and bind it back together with the strength of her courage.”
–Kelly S. Thompson, national bestselling memoirist of Still, I Cannot Save You and Girls Need Not Apply
“Courageous, exquisite, and unflinching in its exploration of complex trauma, A Good Girl's Guide to Lying is an unforgettable story of resilience, the power of the human mind, and how one woman found the courage to keep going. Brilliant, harrowing, and unlike any book I've read before, Michelle Hébert's story is a gift for all survivors and the people who love them. A triumph.”
– Joanne Gallant, award-winning author of A Womb in the Shape of a Heart
“Hébert’s courageous and compelling storytelling cracks open the complexity and heartbreak of a lesser known trauma response. It’s impossible to look away as she parses a difficult family relationship, questions of truth and trust, and a devastating ordeal that steals so much of her life. As she pursues answers to the mystery of her missing memories, this is Hébert’s primer for how to be your own hero when no one else steps up.”
–Pauline Dakin, award-winning author of Run, Hide, Repeat: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood
Available Now!
A darkly humorous family saga woven around tarot cards and a mixtape of ’80s songs, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic is the story of a young woman coming of age in a family that believes it’s cursed. Learn more
A Toronto Star Top 20 Book of Summer &
a 49thshelf.com Book of the Year.
“Michelle Hébert’s debut novel is a beautifully crafted coming-of-age story about a young woman’s journey towards the acceptance of her family, with a focus on trust and love and a surprising narrative twist that is skillfully woven into the story.”
–ATLANTIC BOOKS TODAY
"Delightfully funny, smart, and deliciously written, Hébert dives deep into emotions that haunt us all in daily life, all while reminding us of our shared humanity that makes life sparkle."
- KELLY S. THOMPSON, national bestselling author of Girls Need Not Apply and Still, I Cannot Save You