Sunday Synopsis - Truly, Madly, Guilty

 

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I should have done my research better before choosing this book. I only chose it based on the author's name and somewhat on the "blurb." I liked one of her other books, and I've seen two series based on her books, but they were just okay.

Set in Australia, the story is told from 6 points of view: three seemingly happy married couples have a barbecue where something goes wrong that changes their lives forever. You wait for the majority of the book to find out what the incident is, then it's over in a few pages. The incident, not the book.

One couple is Sam and Clementine. She is a cellist who is preparing for an audition for the entire book. They have two young children, Holly and Ruby. Clementine's childhood "friend" Erika and her husband Oliver are another couple. They have no children, but Oliver is desperate for a child. The third couple are neighbors of Erika and Oliver, Tiffany and Vid. They have a preteen daughter, Dakota.

I felt the author kept me in suspense for the "barbecue incident" far too long, and when I finally found out what it was, I was a bit disappointed. The incident itself was resolved in a matter of pages, but the repercussions were not. The repercussions were never fully reconciled, either, and I don't like when a book leaves out any of the resolution.

I did not identify with any of the characters. I would describe them as sniveling, spoiled, selfish, and sanctimonious. I just could not wait for this book to end. It wasn't horrible, but when I don't LIKE the characters, any of them, it's difficult to enjoy the book. I didn't like how it jumped back and forth from chapter to chapter being from a different character's point of view. It's okay when there are 2 or 3, but this had 8 because there was even a chapter from Dakota's point of view and one from another neighbor, Harry. It got confusing. Each chapter is written in first person, so it's almost like getting used to another style of writing with every change. I don't recommend this book. There are too many good books to waste time reading mediocrity.

View all my reviews