Books & Java

Big Little Lies 

by Liane Moriarty 

Synopsis:

 

Sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal. . . . A murder. . . a tragic accident… . . . or just parents behaving badly?  What’s indisputable is that someone is dead.   But who did what?


Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:   Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?). 

Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.   New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all. 

Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive

 

My Review:

This book was AMAZING. I've always avoided books about domestic violence because they are depressing and make me feel frustrated and helpless. But this book was so funny without downplaying the importance of awareness and impact. It was poignant. The title of the book is so perfect because of the irony. These little lies that people tell to avoid the reality of life. Or, maybe not "avoid" but "deal with". And most of the little lies are everything but little. The lies have a ripple effect that impact everything and everyone around them. Perception being the reason for each and every lie.

The story takes place in a small beachside town of Perriwee in the Perriwee peninsula of Australia. An ideal place for raising a perfect family. The adults all know each other and they are very involved in every aspect of their children's lives. The PTA is a way of life and they are the lifeblood of the school around which the story takes place. On orientation day, there is an incident of bullying and assault on one of the kids Amabella - the daughter of the most obnoxiously self-important parent - Renata. As a result of the incident sides and alligences are made clear. As a result of this grade school incident many "little" lies surface and everyone involved is forced to face the big consequences - a death, serious and on-going incidents of well-hidden domestic violence, bullying, sexual assault, verbal abuse, identity issues, lack of self-respect and absentee parents. The entire book revolves around uncovering these lies, determining whose death results from all of it and who is the guilty murderer.

The author is brilliant making you care about the victims and seeing that sometimes we have to look beyond the seemingly perfect exterior to find the truth people go out of their way to hide. You find yourself reacting kind of indignant and thinking "this would never happen to me" and then you (at least I did) realize that you are not immune. All of us are capable of being the aggressor and/or the victim. It's all about the "little" lies we tell to manipulate perceptions.

This, in my opinion, is a must-read. It will make you re-evaluate your notions about violence and accountability.