Just under one week, people! Time to start reading the book everyone is going to be talking about (again) starting next Sunday, when HBO starts showing their limited series Big Little Lies. Based on the best-selling novel by Liane Moriarty, this series is going to be epic.
So this is your chance to read the novel before you see the show! Trust me on this--it's a fantastic book, and you don't want to skip the book for the series.
Big Little Lies is set in Australia (the novel is, not the show), where school moms Madeline, Celeste, and Jane come together to gossip, laugh, plan, raise kids, and keep secrets. Madeline is larger than life, a force of nature, who is dealing with the other mothers at the school, a difficult teenager, and an ex-husband whose daughter (with his new, hippie wife) is the same age as her youngest--and in the same class at school. Celeste is being run ragged by twin boys and a husband who travels a lot for work, leaving all the family heavy lifting to her. And Jane is a single mom, struggling to find her place in a new city, where she can make a better life for her son and for herself.
Young enough to be mistaken for a nanny, Jane is starting over in a city unlike one she's ever lived in. It will take all of Madeline's enthusiasm and social skills and Celeste's calm-in-any-storm attitude to help her through the school year.
Big Little Lies is a fantastic look at the secrets we keep, the lies we tell each other (and ourselves), and the friendships that help us maintain our sanity through it all. It's a story that sucks you in quickly and keeps you moving through the pages. It's lots of fun, smart, and moving. Highly recommended.
Read the book. And then watch the series on HBO. Reading the novel is an amazing experience. From the trailers and the cast, I can only imagine how fantastic the series will be. I can't wait to start watching!