Without you Cannonballers I would have never, ever picked up this book. A book about wealthy-ish suburban moms and their cat fighting? Yeah, not my scene generally, but darn it all if y’all weren’t completely right in saying that it’s so much more!
Big Little Lies is the story of some suburban moms in Australia (it took me way too long to figure out where they were located, until someone mentioned Sydney) who all have children starting kindergarten this year. So you know from the first chapter that the story ends with someone dying before the school year is out, but who, why, and how are the great unknowns. The set up and then unraveling of the mystery make up the story, and I just couldn’t put it down!
Ms. Moriarty does something truly impressive with this novel, in that she takes characters who, in general, one would assume to be pretty unlikeable, and makes well-rounded realistic people with faults and flaws but overall you sympathize and empathize with them. Madeline, Celeste, Jane and even Renata and Bonnie are all such very well rounded people that even at moments when you don’t agree with them, you can see where they’re coming from. What I really enjoyed, as things got out of hand especially, is that every single parent was still a parent, caring mostly about the welfare of the children. It was nice to see as their own problems played out that the children were still the number one priority.
So after all of these continuing rave reviews, of those out there who haven’t read it yet: what are you waiting for? It’s hilarious, bitter, sharp, loving and delicious all in one. Give Big Little Lies a shot. This many Cannonballers can’t be wrong!
