Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty usually excels at portraying modern-day relationships in all of the gory glory. Her witty dialogue and realistic characters typically make for entertainingly uncomfortable reads, if only because she strikes so close to home in her situations and characters. Unfortunately, Truly Madly Guilty is a rare misstep in which the characters are less realistic than normal and the situations in which they find themselves are boring. Gone is the witty banter. In its place is a plethora of show more self-pity and adult whining. It is a novel that does more to annoy than it does entertain.

The story revolves around the mysterious catastrophe at an impromptu barbecue. The events of that night are enough to unravel long-term friendships as well as marriages and one’s mental health. Flipping back and forth between each character’s point of view as well as in time, you do not find out what the catastrophe is until late in the novel. By the time Ms. Moriarty reveals this event, the build-up to it is immense, eclipsing almost everything else that is occurring within the story because it is the linchpin behind everyone’s current behavior. Yet, the catastrophe, once revealed, is anticlimactic. There is no doubt that it was traumatic and scary, but the guilt everyone feels is almost too extreme for something that results in no long-term harm. The actions of the couples after the barbecue do not appear to reflect reality or even common sense, at least to me.

Making matters worse, the characters are almost insipid compared to her previous characters. Each is self-absorbed to the point of being irritating. Of particular concern is the friendship between Clementine and Erika. Theirs is a toxic friendship in many ways, and the animosity they feel towards each other most of the time will keep you repeatedly wondering why they remain friends. Disconcertingly, it is the men in the novel who fare the best under scrutiny. Of the six, Vid is the most realistic in his ability to accept what happened and move on with his life. He is not filled with debilitating guilt; he does not question his self-worth. His reactions are refreshing and become the novel’s highlight. Everyone else remains bogged down in their individual issues, which makes the story much of a slog.

In fact, the rest of the cast are disturbing stereotypes. Clementine is a musician by trade and Sam is in Marketing; Clementine is flighty and prone to extreme anxiety while Sam is spontaneous and creative. Both are outgoing and adventurous. Go figure. Erika and Oliver are accountants and are the exact opposite of Clementine and Sam to the point of being rigid, exacting, and introverted. Logic and discipline rule their lives. Again, what a surprise. While stereotypes are rooted in truth, Ms. Moriarty does nothing to challenge these stereotypes but rather includes every negative aspect of them which serves to compound the issues already existing within the novel.

Given the excellence that was her previous novel, the fact that Truly Madly Guilty is not very good magnifies your disappointment. Not every book an author will write is going to be excellent, and we should expect that. However, this novel is such a departure for her that it is a bit upsetting if not slightly shocking. The characters are too unrelenting in their stereotypical identity, too maudlin in their self-pity, and too one-dimensional to enjoy reading about them. The story itself is boring and lacks the sense of catastrophe implied by the build-up to the barbecue. The resolution is the most realistic part of the story but sadly should have been the initial reaction to the barbecue. The whole thing leaves a bitter taste in your mouth that represents disappointment, shock, and concern. One can only hope that this is a fluke and that Ms. Moriarty’s next novel lives up to her reputation. show less

I am a huge fan of Lianne Moriarty and her latest novel does not disappoint, it may be even her best one yet. Cherry Lockwood, the middle aged daughter of a fortune teller boards a plane. In the middle of the flight she stands up and begins to pace the cabin pointing at each passenger telling them of what they will die of and at what age. Many laugh it off, many are horrified and frightened, after all is this crazy woman a psychic with special abilities? They all disembark and go their own show more ways. However a few days later one of Cherry's predictions comes true, and then another, and another. The people she has made predictions about are desperate for answers and each begins to change and modify their lives in order to avoid an untimely death, just in case it's true. What I love about Moriarty's writing is that she infuses humor and humanity into all her characters and treats them like friends she truly cares about. She makes me care about all of them as well. This book explores a lot of concepts, life, death, karma and the human experience. I just loved it, couldn't put it down and can't recommend it highly enough. Supremely entertaining. Thank you Ms, Moriarty for another excellent story. 5 solid stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Crown Publishing for a chance to read an ARC of this compelling story. show less

This Liane Moriarity book is so over the top and outrageous but you can't put it down. Even though the plot got more and more ridiculous as the story progressed, I LOVED the characters. Nine people decide that they are stressed and need a lifestyle change, so they sign up for a ten day cleanse at Tranquility House. It's a gorgeous estate in the middle of nowhere and participants will be treated to divine meals, massages, nature hikes, star-gazing, and meditation. The nine participants (all show more strangers) soon discover that there was a lot on the agenda that they most certainly had not signed up for. Silence, daily blood tests, fasting, and more unorthodox methods keep popping up. Soon the strangers kind of bond together as they try to get through their weird cleanse in one piece. There is a romance author who will soon be out of work, an ex football player, a family trying to cope with loss, a mom trying to rediscover herself after her husband took off with a new trophy wife, a young couple in dire need of counseling, and a devilishly handsome gay lawyer. Full of fun, a nice beach read. show less

Liane Moriarty's novel "Big Little Lies" has become a sensational bestseller of women's fiction in recent years, only supported by its critically acclaimed and immensely watchable HBO adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley and Laura Dern among others (which features a) some of the best casting choices and b) one of the best cast ensembles I've ever witnessed in a book-to-film/TV adaptation). It may have been a mistake for me to read the novel only after show more watching the TV show, but to be honest, the adaptation was so fantastic that reading about these people's lives only enhanced the experience of getting to know their respective personal stories.

"Big Little Lies" is absolutely addictive. If I hadn't already known the entire story, I probably would have turned page after page in one sitting alone, and even without this being the case, it didn't take long for me to finish the novel. The plot works brilliantly by using a very interesting formula: take the lives of several characters who appear to be so perfect and oh-so-normal from the outside, and throw them into a difficult situation in order to reveal their true characters by showing how they deal with the situations, and then reveal the dark secrets shadowing their seemingly perfect lives. It's a formula which could not have worked better, though one aspect certainly helped: the fact that the characters were so vibrant. We got to know every little shade of their souls, and even with the uncomfortable subjects which are placed at the heart of the story, it felt comforting to place oneself in their neighborhood and watch their conflict-disquieted lives unravel. Yes, it was certainly uncomfortable at times, but that was the entire point of the novel. It's the reason this book is so memorable and different in the first place. Self-centered people like the characters portrayed in Liane Moriarty's world live all around the planet. What the show did so great was to paint these women in such an interesting light that you could not help but root for them anyway.

I'm definitely checking out Liane Moriarty's other books. show less