Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jul 2016
432 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One small dog. It's just a normal weekend. What could possibly go wrong?
In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty turns her unique, razor-sharp eye towards three seemingly happy families.
Sam and Clementine have a wonderful, albeit, busy life: they have two little girls, Sam has just started a new dream job, and Clementine, a cellist, is busy preparing for the audition of a lifetime. If there's anything they can count on, it's each other.
Clementine and Erika are each other's oldest friends. A single look between them can convey an entire conversation. But theirs is a complicated relationship, so when Erika mentions a last minute invitation to a barbecue with her neighbors, Tiffany and Vid, Clementine and Sam don't hesitate. Having Tiffany and Vid's larger than life personalities there will be a welcome respite.
Two months later, it won't stop raining, and Clementine and Sam can't stop asking themselves the question: What if we hadn't gone?
In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty takes on the foundations of our lives: marriage, sex, parenthood, and friendship. She shows how guilt can expose the fault lines in the most seemingly strong relationships, how what we don't say can be more powerful than what we do, and how sometimes it is the most innocent of moments that can do the greatest harm.
Entertainment Weekly's "Best Beach Bet"
A USA Today Hot Books for Summer Selection
A Miami Herald Summer Reads Pick
"Starred Review. This novel sheds light on the truths that we all fear as parents, spouses, and friends. It's perfect for those long summer days, but readers will have to pace themselves to not devour it in one sitting." - Library Journal
"The novel holds back the meat of the story until the reader is about to burst with curiosity, but this technique strangely doesn't feel like torture; it gives readers a chance to consider the endless possibilities of every moment." - Publishers Weekly
"Not one of Moriarty's best outings." - Kirkus
"The well-drawn cast here will engage readers and remind them that life halfway around the world isn't much different from life here -families argue, neighbors meddle and children push boundaries." - Washington Post
"[A] masterpiece…Extremely relatable and thought-provoking…Ms. Moriarty's shining talent in Truly Madly Guilty is her uncanny ability to get into the mind of her well-developed characters, turn the mirror on the reader and make you think about your own relationships, both past and present." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Moriarty is a talented tale-spinner and a sharp, witty social observer…Moriarty fans, pack Truly Madly Guilty in your beach bag." - USA Today
"[I]t's a shame to see her resort to the level of contrivance that this book requires. You'd have to be a very dedicated Moriarty fan to believe much of anything that happens post-crisis. One factoid borrowed from the plot of a Robert Redford film seems absolutely loony in the context of this story." - New York Times
"Stacked with her signature themes: female friendship, duplicity, the darkness lurking beneath lucky, ordinary suburban lives…The last twist, though, is nearly worth the wait, and what sets Moriarty's writing apart…has as much to do with her canny insights into human nature as her clever plotting…Compelling." - Entertainment Weekly
This information about Truly Madly Guilty was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Liane was born in Sydney, Australia in the spring of 1966. It was a beautiful day, according to her mother, who has an excellent memory for weather. A few hours after Liane was born she smiled directly at her father through the nursery glass window, which is remarkable, seeing as most babies can't even focus their eyes at that age.
Her first word was 'glug'. This was faithfully recorded in the baby book kept by her mother. As the eldest of six children, Liane was the only one to get a baby book so she likes to refer to it often.
She can't remember the first story she ever wrote, but she does remember her first publishing deal. Her father 'commissioned' her to write a novel for him and offered an advance of $1. She had no agent, so accepted his first offer and wrote a three volume ...
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