Number 7: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Yeah, I'm trying to read 100 books again. I know, I only made it to around 50 last year, but that just leaves room for improvement, right? Anyway, the first big hit on my list comes in at number seven (as in, the seventh book I've finished this year).

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, set in an Australian seaside town, centers itself around three women whose children have all just entered kindergarten. I thought it would be a frivolous little bit of something, some drama about motherhood and ladies who lunch and all that. As such, it took me quite by surprise when allusions to some terrible tragedy combined with a flashback framing device to set up a tense narrative fraught with struggles both large and small.

You all know by now that that's all for plot points I'm going to give you, but believe me when I say that this is worth a read. Moriarty renders her characters in beautiful detail -- though I admit that she succumbs to some rather tired backstories. However, assuming the author's mission was to use an extraordinary tragedy to reveal the everyday tragedies of these women's lives, these backstories emphasize her point nicely.

All in all, a well-crafted read, and worth the time I spent on it. Hopefully, the next 93 will be similarly enjoyable. Wish me luck.