Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
From Liane Moriarty (What Alice Forgot,
Big Little Lies) comes this new title in domestic fiction where six adults and
three children face a traumatic event during a friendly, neighborly barbecue.
Sam and Clementine have a busy life
with their careers and their two daughters, two year-old Ruby and five year-old
Holly. Sam and Clementine also struggle in their roles as husband and wife.
Overly uptight Erika and her husband Oliver, both accountants, are hoping to
start their own family. Clementine and Erika are longtime childhood friends
that struggle to maintain their friendship, which is also met with a great deal of hostility. What begins as afternoon tea between the two couples soon evolves to a
barbecue at Erika’s neighbors, Tiffany and Vid. Tiffany and Vid both enjoy living life to
the fullest. Vid has adult children from a previous marriage and Tiffany is his
“hot wife”. But Tiffany and Vid, along with their ten year-old
daughter Dakota are just as haunted about the traumatic event that takes place
in their own backyard as are the other couples. They wish they had never thrown
the barbecue as much as the other couples wish they had never attended. It actually takes a long time for the story to unfold before we find out about the mysterious event. Because there has been so much suspense and buildup to the event that when it actually occurs, it is anti-climactic. The
book does not follow chronological order, but instead, jumps back and forth from before the barbecue to flash forwarding past the
event, then jumps to the present and then back again in time. It is also being told from the points
of view from the six main characters. Both of these style structures leads to confusion at times. Moriarty works to save the story by touching on key elements of marriage, friendship and parenthood, allowing the strengths of the six main characters to be revealed as they evolve through
the story.
An overly long, disappointing journey.
Publication Date: July 26, 2016
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books
ISBN: 978-125006795
Publication Date: July 26, 2016
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books
ISBN: 978-125006795
Hi Anne,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the Kirkus Review! It looks like you handled the format and overall tone of the review excellently. I especially feel as though your personal thoughts for the closing line definitely fits with a less than savory review for Kirkus. You stated your opinion clearly and with professionalism, without overt harshness. I can see why this publication is one of the desired or go-to review sources, as it contains a clearly defined format which lets the reader know of the reviewer’s thoughts almost immediately. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the book more. I also enjoyed how you explained why you thought certain elements were confusing or sub-par, rather than just saying you didn’t like it or that it was boring. From your review it does certainly seem like the author took their time in the unfurling of the story and it is easy to see how you and others might describe certain elements as convoluted.
This book sounded so good at the beginning of your review and then I was disappointed to find you didn't like it. I am really curious about the BBQ and what happens.
ReplyDeleteVery professional tone, closing with a solid opinion from you. Great job! Full points!
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