 Genre: Fiction | Themes: Preschool, Parental Rivalry, Murder A cross between Desperate Housewives and Bad Moms, Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies is a delectable tale of moms (and dads—but mostly moms) behaving badly. With a plot twist à la The Hangover (the beginning of the book starts at the end of the story), readers are uniquely introduced to characters through multiple perspectives—we get to know their personalities through their own words, but their appearances and looks are described by other characters, often painting a very different picture from how the characters perceive themselves. The light and humorous surface of Big Little Lies is quickly peeled away to reveal the cracks beneath, exposing some very serious themes underlying the snarky comments, “kindy” mom rivalry, and “blonde bobs."
Moriarty’s expert character development means that by the end of Big Little Lies you’ll not only find out who died—and who done it—but you’ll be wanting more. Lucky for us, the HBO series is now available for our viewing (and guilty) pleasure. Favorite quotes: “…she felt that dissatisfied feeling she often experienced when she was somewhere new and lovely.… if only I were here.” “It drove her to distraction the way women wanted to bond over self-hatred.” “Madeline had once had a boyfriend who thought she was cute and stupid…living with a teenage daughter was exactly the same.” “I picked something with lots of sex, drugs, and murder so we have a lively discussion. Ideally there should be an argument.” “Reading a novel was like returning to a once-beloved holiday destination.” “It’s because we live in a beauty-obsessed society where the most important thing a woman can do is make herself attractive to men.” “She could see the old man he’d one day be.” “It was interesting how you could say things when you were walking that you might not otherwise have said with the pressure of eye contact across a table.” “Fuck dignity.”
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