Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty is the story of a neighbourhood barbeque, where there are three couples and their children. The first part of the book tells us what happened after the barbeque. One couple’s marriage begins to experience difficulties, while at the same time the wife is giving talks to local community groups and apparently relates what happened at the barbeque.
Others who attend the barbeque are experiencing guilt, which appears in various guises. It was intriguing trying to imagine what happened that brought about all these different reactions. Yet when Liane Moriarty reveals what happened, it all makes perfect sense.
Moriarty often writes her stories “backwards”. That is, she will start with how people have reacted to a situation and then work her way back to the actual situation. It can be a little frustrating, but it’s worth the wait. In, Truly, Madly, Guilty this works very well. Everyone who attends the barbeque feels in some way responsible for what happened with good reason. Moriarty does a good job of making people’s reactions believable and realistic.
Moriarty is a great writer and I especially like that her stories end well. Not necessarily that all the issues are resolved, but people are able to move on and be in a better place.
A great read.
