He fixed his eyes desperately on her forehead as if she were a test. walked over to within chatting distance and noted Oliver’s terrified glance at her cleavage. It might be sexual, Sam and Oliver are pretty taken with Tiffany. Vid, a loud, enthusiastic man, holds a backyard barbeque for everyone I’ve mentioned above (except Harry). No spoilers, I’ll just go on for a bit longer with generalities. “‘This is a story that begins with a barbeque’, said Clementine.” But, in fact, Truly Madly Guilty commences in the weeks and months after ‘the barbeque’ and continually circles back, in what seems to be trademark Moriarty style, with gradual reveals, using the point of view of whichever character is most convenient at the time. Vid and Tiffany’s neighbour on the other side, the elderly, angry Harry, makes occasional, eventually crucial, appearances. There are not many other characters to fill the (excessive) 500 pages – Erika and Oliver’s neighbours, Vid, a Slovenian electrical contractor, his wife Tiffany a property developer, and as it turns out, former exotic dancer, and their 10 yo daughter Dakota. Their daughters, Holly and Ruby are 5 and 2. Clementine is a cellist, Sam does something in marketing. Erika’s mother has a serious hoarding disorder, Oliver’s parents are alcoholics. Erik and Oliver are nerdy, accountants, childless, had difficult childhoods. Erika and Oliver’s suburb posher, more suburban, Clementine and Sam’s older, trendier.
The action centres around four characters, two couples, Erika and Oliver, Clementine and Sam, thirtyish, Sydney-ites of course, from innerish (unnamed) northern suburbs. I can confidently predict that I won’t be reading no.7 (nor no.s 1-4). So here goes with no.6, Truly Madly Guilty (2016).
I recently reviewed no.5, Big Little Lies after listening to the audio version and to my great regret, promised to actually read her before passing final judgement. Moriarty is of course a best-selling author with six novels and some children’s books under her belt. She’s plain vanilla whitebread middle class bleeding heart first world problems, and I like my reading just a little bit grittier. I shouldn’t have undertaken to review another Liane Moriarty.
0 kommentar(er)
