Big Little Lies

Sometimes you just want an easy, juicy, trashy read, and that was what I was in the mood for this week, so I reached for Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies (lent to me by my friend Justine). Well, I should have known better. An easy read, yes, and certainly juicy - but not trashy at all, and much more satisfying than I expected. Its account of playground politics and maternal guilt was wickedly funny, and almost too close to the bone, while the plot strand dealing with domestic violence was topical, insightful and moving. I raced through this spledidly fattish book at top speed and enjoyed every moment. (Fun fact: Liane is the sister of the equally talented Jaclyn Moriarty, whose Colours of Madeleine YA trilogy I am absolutely loving.)

One nitpick: this book was littered with annoying editing errors (I wouldn't even call them typos, because they were consistent), like the use of the adjective peninsular instead of the noun peninsula, which gave me a twinge of irritation whenever they appeared. Such a shame, because otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.