Liane Moriarty | Book Chatter

Truly Madly Guilty
By Liane Moriarty
Flatiron Books, 9781250069801, 2017, 560pp.

The Short of It:

What could go wrong at a barbecue? Plenty.

The Rest of It:

This is the second Moriarty book I’ve read, the first being Big Little Lies. As much as I liked Big Little Lies, I think I enjoyed Truly Madly Guilty a bit more.

Both books open with the knowledge that something bad has happened. In this book, this “incident” takes place at a neighborhood barbecue. Just your everyday, neighborhood barbecue with a few neighbors and a couple of mutual friends. As the story unfolds, the chapters count the reader down to the event itself. This method of storytelling creates a lot of tension in the best way possible. I could not turn those pages fast enough and the book stands at 560 pages so that’s telling you something.

The story mostly focuses on three couples, Erika and Oliver, Clementine and Sam, and Tiffany and Vid. These couples are vastly different from one another. Their views on marriage, children and social gatherings are flaunted for all to see as the tension builds between them. All presented in the most delicious, dishy way. Erika and Clementine were tossed together as kids but do they even like one another? Vid and Tiffany are over-the-top with their lifestyle and a bit flashy but what harm could a little barbecue cause? It’s just a meal among friends. Clementine and Sam have their own issues to deal with so why are they always roped into other people’s problems?

The storytelling feels so personal. Almost voyeuristic. When the details of the incident are finally revealed to the reader, you immediately wonder how they will survive it. How will each couple deal with the information they have in front of them? The not-knowing makes it even more of a page-turner.

Friends, this was a good one. Plenty of tension, good story, suspenseful without being unrealistic and characters who come full circle. This is one of those complete package reads. For me, a perfect read.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Big Little Lies
By Liane Moriarty
Berkley, 9780425274866, August 2015, 512pp.

The Short of It:

I waited far too long to read this one and now I want to read all of her books.

The Rest of It:

Many of you read this book when it first came out. Many of you have seen the TV show. But I think there is a group out there that has avoided it for two reasons:

Too much hype
It’s too fluffy

I am here to tell you that although I may have avoided it for the two reasons above, I was completely wrong in doing so.

Picture a story full of relatable characters but set in a small town, full of gossipy women (and men). Add an elementary school. Add bullying, domestic violence and other domestic affairs that keep the town buzzing. What you end up with is an unputdownable book that has a little bit of depth.

These women are so accurately drawn that I could put names to at least three of them because they are so similar to the women I’ve known throughout my life. As they say, everyone has a story and these women have their own as well as secrets which makes for great fun while reading a book.

The story is centered around something that has happened. As a reader, you do not know what but you know it’s bad and you know it affects the entire town. With each page turn, you are given a tiny glimpse into the night it all went down. This device was very effective. It kept me guessing right until the end.

I enjoyed Big Little Lies so much that I now want to read everything by this author. If you haven’t read it but want something to distract you from all the politics and day-to-day strife, find yourself a copy.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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