Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty Review: A Brilliant Return to the Women of Big Little Lies

Big Little Truths returns to Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata and Bonnie with teenage drama, secrets, mystery and plenty of surprises.

Summary:

Ten years after the events of Big Little Lies, Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie are navigating the new challenges of raising teenagers while still grappling with the secrets of their past. When a severed human finger is mailed to the local high school and a mysterious stranger begins asking unsettling questions, old wounds and hidden truths resurface. As family tensions, marriage struggles, and personal reckonings collide, the close-knit group must confront the consequences of what they have—and haven’t—shared with their children in a story that blends mystery, humour, and emotional insight.

My Thoughts:

I was so excited when I heard that, ten years after Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty was returning with a sequel. It’s always a little nerve-wracking when an author revisits characters we’ve come to love, but I’m happy to say that Big Little Truths feels like a natural continuation of the original story while giving us an entirely new set of circumstances to unravel.

Although this is considered a sequel, Moriarty makes it clear from the beginning that Big Little Truths can easily be read as a standalone, and I completely agree. She does an excellent job of reintroducing Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata and Bonnie, along with their distinctive personalities and enough background to understand their individual stories. Having said that, I’m very glad I had read Big Little Lies first, as it gave me a much greater appreciation for how these women—and their relationships—have changed over the past decade.

The children who were five years old in the first book are now fifteen, and life has certainly become more complicated. The days of birthday-party invitations and playground drama have been replaced with the much bigger concerns that come with raising teenagers, including drugs, sex, alcohol and all the worry that comes with trying to keep your children safe while giving them enough freedom to grow. Moriarty captures the challenges of parenting teenagers particularly well, making it very clear that raising them is not for the faint of heart.

And teenagers aren’t the only source of stress. The women are also dealing with the challenges that come with having ageing parents, along with personal and spousal health issues. There is so much going on in their lives that you sometimes have to wonder how any of them manage to keep functioning!

Of course, Moriarty wouldn’t give us all of this family drama without adding a mystery. When the high school principal receives a severed human finger in the mail, parents are understandably alarmed. Then a strange man begins lurking around the school and asking seemingly innocent questions. To make matters even more unsettling, the female students are warned about wearing short skirts. Are these events connected? And what exactly is going on?

You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Moriarty is a master at revealing just enough information at exactly the right moment. She keeps you curious without giving away too much, and I found myself continually wanting to know what was going to happen next. The characters are wonderfully developed and interesting, with the same quirky qualities that fans of Big Little Lies will remember and appreciate.

What I particularly loved was how familiar this book felt without simply repeating the first one. It has that same Big Little Lies feel—the humour, the complicated relationships, the strong female characters and the underlying tension—but the storyline is completely different. The pacing is excellent, and despite the length of the book, I adored every page.

I sincerely hope Big Little Truths makes its way to the screen. If the original actors were available, I would absolutely love to see them return to these roles. I think this story would translate beautifully to film or television.

The Narration:

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Caroline Lee and Ella Le Fournour. I absolutely adored their Australian accents and the lovely tone of their narration. My only minor criticism is that I sometimes wondered whether having different narrators for each of the female characters might have made it easier to immediately recognize who was speaking. With so many strong personalities and storylines, that distinction could have elevated the audiobook experience for me.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, Big Little Truths was everything I hoped a sequel to Big Little Lies would be. It brings back characters I was genuinely happy to spend time with again while giving them new challenges, secrets and mysteries to navigate. If you loved the first book, I think you’ll be very happy to return to this group of women. And if you haven’t read Big Little Lies, you can still jump right in—but I’d recommend reading it first because it makes the experience that much more enjoyable.