Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

I have just finished reading Big Little Lies by the amazing Australian author Liane Moriarty. Now, I realise I am so far behind with this one and I know that it has already been made into a Netflix series with the biggest actors (heard of Reese Witherspoon anyone? Nicole Kidman?), but I only recently discovered Liane Moriarty through listening to a podcast with her and Mia Freedman. I read her latest book Truly, Madly, Guilty first and loved that too. Review on that coming soon!

I started reading Big Little Lies on Saturday and had it finished by Monday. I simply could not put it down. What I love most about Moriarty’s books is her exquisite character development. Her characters are all so real and likeable and I find they (rather than the plot) are what immediately draws me in to her books. I sort of become their champion, I want them to succeed, I want them to move forward, onwards and upwards. I don’t often find myself overly connected to characters in other novels, but there’s something about her characters that I just can’t resist. I think it really is because they are real – they have human reactions to situations and their problems are never too far from what real people experience. All Moriarty’s novels are set in Sydney also so it’s easy for me to imagine where they are and what the environment looks like.

The three main characters in Big Little Lies are Celeste, Madeline, and Jane. Normally I can pick who my favourite character is in a novel straight away but I just felt so drawn to them for different reasons. Jane struck me as someone who often felt out of place and as though she was never good enough. She was also an incredibly strong and resilient character.Celeste was complex, very complex. I won’t give away why, but at times I felt frustrated at her and really wanted her to make that change she so desperately needed to make. After reading a lot further in to her situation after reading the book, I understand that she embodied so many traits of women in similar situations and that felt really sad for me. She was a really likeable character and was always seen to be a warm friend and mother. Madeline was a much needed burst of energy in the book – she was witty, sarcastic, and her emotions went up and down. She was also going through a difficult situation with her daughter that was related to the breakdown of her previous marriage.

Have you read Big Little Lies? What did you think?

Lis x