Unveiling Liane Moriarty’s Masterpieces in My Reading List

When I discovered Liane Moriarty with the book „Big Little Lies“, I loved it so much that I immediately searched for her other books. I wrote my thoughts and impressions about three of her books: Big Little Lies, The Husband’s Secret and The Last Anniversary. I am still trying to decide which one I liked or loved the most.

Big Little Lies

Sometimes, when I get to the end of a book, I wish I could wipe it from my mind just so I could have the pleasure of rereading it. This book, indeed, is one of those books.

From the novel’s beginning, we know someone has died, but we find out who it is at the end. The story slowly unfolds the events that led to the fatal night at school; we get to know the characters until we love or hate them.

On the surface, this was about a group of parents whose children were starting kindergarten. It is a public school, and we get to know all kinds of parents and children. There are working moms against stay-at-home moms, fulfilment vs involvement. There is lots of relatable mum content. So many times, this book had me laughing and sometimes saddened me.

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Liane Moriarty explains relationships so well and with such humour. Her characters love and laugh, cry and keep secrets, extend the hand of friendship, spread gossip, resolve to do better, — everything that real people do.

So we spend the book trying to figure out who died. Was it Madeline struggling to connect with her teenage daughter, who prefers to be with her father and his new wife and daughter than with her? Or was it beautiful Celeste, whose perfect life hides an ugly secret? Or was it single mum Jane trying to give her son the possibilities other children have?

I really loved this book. In the end, it is all about friends and caring for each other.

The Husband’s Secret

Liane Moriarty introduces 3 separate stories that, ironically, are all connected in some way to a murder that happened 28 years ago. The story begins when Cecilia finds a letter addressed to her to read after her husband’s death. She was struggling not to open the letter as her husband did not die. Looking for something else incidentally, Cecilia found the letter. After her husband told her not to open it, she really had to, which changed their lives forever.

Moriarty skillfully employs multiple narrators, offering readers different perspectives on the unfolding drama. Each character’s unique voice and viewpoint depth the story, allowing readers to empathize with their struggles and secrets. As the narrative jumps between characters, we become entangled in their intertwined lives, all the while questioning the ethics of their choices.

The story is genuine; the feelings in this book and the struggles can happen every day. I have seen my life played by the characters from the book. From the small stuff like early mornings with the kids, trying to keep up with everything to having doubts and questioning people they love. It’s a novel that kept me hooked from the first page to the last, reminding me that even the most ordinary lives may hold extraordinary secrets.

The Husband’s Secret is about life and death, the joy of living and the pain of losing the ones we love. It is about love that we give and get, parental love, love that wife and husband share and the different stages it goes through. The story hits on many vital issues in an easy way that’s not overwhelming. The truth about events that took place 28 years ago was revealed slowly but not dull; it took work to put down the book.

Reading this book, I realised that life goes on regardless of our mistakes and the people we hurt in the process. This book makes you recognise that one decision can impact the rest of your life.

The Last Anniversary

This may be my favourite of Liane’s books I read, but it is hard to compare like it is impossible to say which one of my children I love more. Her characters have so many characteristics and profundities that it is a pure pleasure to know them through her books.

Once again, the family is the centre of the story. She writes about different family relationships, like marriage, mother-daughter connection, and older family members compared to young ones. Never a dull moment. And once again, feels like closing a book on a group of people I encountered and want to be part of.

The main character, Sophie, has unexpectedly inherited a house on Scribbly Gum Island. It was a big surprise for everybody because the house belonged to the deceased aunt Connie of her ex-fiance.

Connie’s house on Scribbly Gum Island is the home of the famously unsolved Munro Baby mystery. A young couple abandoned the baby in their house, with a cake cooling on the table, blood stains, and mysterious facts abound.

This unexpected inheritance brings Sophie back to the island. As the drama unfolds with getting to know the habitats of the island. Grace suffers from postnatal depression, and Grandma Rose becomes slightly forgetful, especially when, at the age of eighty-eight years old, she constantly forgets to keep a secret. Margie Gordon is losing weight while attending and spreading her wings at the age of fifty-five; Veronika, the blabbermouth, goes through a relationship metamorphosis. The gorgeous, primarily female members of this family are the only residents on this little island of Scribbly Gum. And the men on the island become mere shadows of the female rulers.

Moriarty’s characters have hidden depths, and the plot has more than enough intrigue and twists to make this novel hard to put down.

The ironic inner monologues of some characters give the reader plenty of laughter. But the author also deals with some thought-provoking moments. She manages to interpolate many topics without making them overwhelming: postnatal depression, nut allergy, parental cruelty, mothering instinct, suicide, support groups, children’s fiction and bonding with newborn babies.

Liane Moriarty has described women perfectly. As I mentioned above, her characters are realistic in their feelings. Their protests, struggles, and relationship issues are relatable.

While enjoying reading, I spent each time the entire three books trying to guess the secret. The plot was unfolding so slowly but never tiresome. The blend of humour and depth and, in the end, a dramatic reveal got me so emotionally involved that I will continue reading Liane Moriarty’s books.

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