Book info

• Title Big Little Lies
• Author Liane Moriarty
• Year 2014
• Genre Mystery

Perfect families, perfect houses, perfect lives. Three mothers, Jane, Madeline and Celeste appear to have it all, until they find out just how easy it is for one little lie to spiral out of control... Single mum Jane has just moved to town. She's got her little boy in tow - plus a secret she's been carrying for five years. On the first day of the school run she meets Madeline - a force to be reckoned with, who remembers everything and forgives no one - and Celeste, the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare, but is inexplicably ill at ease. They both take Jane under their wing - while careful to keep their own secrets under wraps. But a minor incident involving the children of all three women rapidly escalates: playground whispers become spiteful rumours until no one can tell the truth from the lies...

Thoughts

I’ve finally caught up with all Liane Moriarty novels so far, and this was probably the one that propelled her into the limelight after the TV adaptation was made. I sort of knew some bits about the story, and have watched the first episode of the show, but I don’t think I finished it because a lot of what happened was new to me. As with all Moriarty books, it’s well written, dipping back and forth in the timeline, and gradually revealing some big dramatic moment and the effect it had on everyone involved. Great stuff.

Rating: 4 / 5