The story begins when a parent is murdered at the Pirriwee Public School on the occasion of the annual trivia night, but we don’t know who has died or who is responsible. The book then skips to six months before this event, and tells the tangled web of events that led to the altercation.
Big, little lies has two major themes which contributed to the murder—bullying and domestic violence. Liane Moriarty has researched these issues well and has written a realistic account of the lies, both big and small, that exist in both of these scenarios. Liane is a clever writer and this story shows her skill at being able to reveal information at just the right time. It isn’t until the last 50 pages, that we discover the identity of the victim and the murderer. There is enough clues to suggest the victim, but the perpetrator was a surprise, though the clues were apparent in retrospect.
Liane creates characters that are easy to relate to and grow through the story, which produces a satisfying end, and leaves you with a sense of hope. My only complaint was the bad language, which was more noticeable in this book, than in her other books. It seemed unnecessary.
Nevertheless the story is well written and easy to read – a great read.
