Why you should read Liane Moriarty
We’re so excited that Liane Moriarty’s new book, Truly Madly Guilty, hits the shelves today. Here, our booksellers tell you why you should get stuck into her big, complex novels.
‘I scored an advance copy of Truly Madly Guilty at a conference a couple of months ago, and it’s been languishing in TBR pile since then – despite much badgering from my workmates who thought I would enjoy the author’s writing. With the release imminent I finally picked it up, and it would seem that apologies are in order. Sorry for not trusting you, workmates: Liane Moriarty is very, very, very excellent.
Truly Madly Guilty is the story of six wildly different adults reflecting back on a Sunday afternoon BBQ that changed everything between them. The details of what happened at this BBQ are revealed with careful precision, however the novel’s focus isn’t only on 'The Event’ (I will say that whatever it was – I’m desperate to find out, but determined not to spoil myself) but also on the characters themselves.
Moriaty does characterisation magnificently. Each of the six adults in Truly Madly Guilty get their chance in the spotlight as the chapters are all told from different perspectives. This way we get to see the distinctive personalities from all sides – how they are viewed by their friends, their lovers, and by themselves. It’s such an extraordinarily authentic view of life with everyone lying at the centre of their own story, somewhat blind to the motivations and challenges being faced by others. Moriarty reveals the little misunderstandings between friends, and explores the tension between the way we perceive ourselves as opposed to how other perceive us. I can’t wait to finish this story, and I can’t wait to read her other books. Thank goodness there’s such an extensive backlist!‘
– Lian Hingee, digital marketing manager
'I came late to Liane Moriarty, and I’ve only read two of her books – Big Little Lies and now, Truly Madly Guilty. I adored them both.
Moriarty is deeply interested in the interior lives of women – their wants, needs, desires, friendships, relationships and more. Moriarty’s superpower is writing characters so intensely that plot becomes almost irrelevant. She reminds me of Anne Tyler in this way. But Moriarty’s books do have plot, and plenty of it – there’s usually a mystery to be solved or a key incident to unravel, and the stakes are high. That’s why she is so popular and her books are so successful – she hits that magic sweet spot of character study nestled inside a page-turner.’
– Nina Kenwood, marketing manager
‘I recently read and reviewed Liane Moriarty’s newest novel, Truly Madly Guilty, and loved it. (You can read my review here.) As a newcomer to her work my key response has been surprise – surprise that such a commercially successful Australian author produces such clever, deviously structured books. I thought I had outgrown this sort of mainstream book in my twenties but Moriarty brings a freshness and wit to the modern, suburban story and I can’t wait to read more. Some writers have that innate ability to cross over to a number of different readerships and I believe Moriarty is one such author.
I encourage anyone who has ever wondered what the fuss is all about to give her a try – you won’t be disappointed.’
– Amanda Rayner, bookseller at Readings Carlton
‘I read my first Liane Moriarty last year when a colleague pressed a copy of Big Little Lies into my hands with the assurance that I would devour it. As usual, she was correct: I couldn’t put the novel down. With the aid of this same colleague’s very informative guide to Moriary’s work, I then read my way through her backlist and found more of the same. Here is an author to love. Moriarty delivers smart, addictive page-turners with a good dash of intrigue and warm-hearted humour – and her latest novel is no exception.’
– Bronte Coates, digital content coordinator
