Big Little Lies

Spoiler alert: You can't spell life without lie, just like you can't live a perfect life without a few big ones.

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Very popular and highly discussed among middle-aged women and teenagers alike, this was the critically acclaimed book that I just had to get my hands on. Of course its success has since blown up since the release of the TV miniseries adaptation on HBO, but my interest in it came long before it's small screen entrance. This story, riveting, different, and satisfying, certainly redefined the term "page-turner." The different perspectives gave the book layers and dimensions, but also of course cut off at the most inconvenient times. The book begins from the perspective of an elderly woman who lives next door to an elementary school. The prologue takes place on Trivia Night, a much anticipated event among parents of the school. This year, they are dressed in the theme of Audrey Hepburn and Elvis Presley, looking decadent and ridiculous. But as the night goes on the old lady hears a raucous. Yelling and fighting begin to break out and then sirens. Through police statements from other parents you learn that there was a murder, and that someone's not telling the truth. The book then takes you back to two weeks ago, before all of this took place. Darkly funny and painfully realistic at times, every word of this book was calculated with wit and mystery. The characters were flawed, but each had a story worth telling on their own. Whether it was bossy Madeline who should've known better, fragile Celeste who was hurting far more than she let on, or newcomer Jane, who was learning to keep just as many secrets as the rest of them, all these women were connected -- at least in guilt. This book is full of shocks and surprises you truly didn't expect, and details in writing that don't go unnoticed. The ending was both satisfying and dark - but it was interesting to see all those women come together when it came down to protecting each other -- especially in such an intense circumstance. Common themes throughout this book were abuse, violence, friendship, hierarchy, mystery, and lies (naturally). Three of the women admitted at the end that they were each abused physically and mentally at one point in their life. The author at the end of the book, revealed the extensive research she did to make the abuse (and abuser) as realistic as possible. In fact, this book was probably as educational as it was entertaining. These women, connected in pain and strife, were also connected through life and lies - which in this book prove to be synonymous. The reader will also feel connected to these women, as they have shared their deepest, darkest secrets with you.

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Favorite quotes: “They say it's good to let your grudges go, but I don't know, I'm quite fond of my grudge. I tend it like a little pet.” ~~ “Reading a novel was like returning to a once-beloved holiday destination.” ~~ “Those we love don’t go away, they sit beside us every day.” ~~ “It had never crossed her mind that sending your child to school would be like going back to school yourself.” ~~ “Everyone wanted to be rich and beautiful, but the truly rich and beautiful had to pretend they were just the same as everyone else.” ~~ “When someone you loved was depending on your lie, it was perfectly easy.”