I have to thank Lovereading for my advanced reader copy of Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty in return for an honest reader panel review. Truly Madly Guilty is published by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Books on 28th July 2016 and is available from Amazon, Lovereading, Waterstones, Barnes and Noble, W H Smith and to order from all good bookshops.

Truly Madly Guilty

Despite their differences, Erika and Clementine have been best friends since they were children. So when Erika needs help, Clementine should be the obvious person to turn to. Or so you’d think.

For Clementine, as a mother of a two desperately trying to practise for the audition of a lifetime, the last thing she needs is Erika asking for something, again.

But the barbecue should be the perfect way to forget their problems for a while. Especially when their hosts, Vid and Tiffany, are only too happy to distract them.

Which is how it all spirals out of control…

My Review of Truly Madly Guilty

Sam and Clementine join old friends Erika and Oliver at a barbeque with Vid and Tiffany after which none of their lives will ever be the same.

Before I begin this review I must point out that I have just read what for me was a stunning series of books that have touched me mind and soul so I feel that Truly Madly Guilty may have suffered in comparison.

Truly Madly Guilty is an accurate, damning and witty depiction of middle class lives. There are great touches of humour and an almost wicked accuracy in the relationships presented. However, I was expecting a gripping thriller and whether it was my expectations or the narrative itself, but Truly Madly Guilty didn’t ignite any emotional involvement within me.

Well written and intelligent, the writer’s craft in Truly Madly Guilty is obvious, and I appreciated the skill with which it is written. But somehow I felt as if I were reading with detachment. I didn’t warm to the characters and didn’t much care what happened to them until the final fifty pages or so of the novel when the truth behind the facades was finally revealed.

I found the overt references to the day of the barbeque became too frequent so that I was irritated rather than enjoying a build up of tension or enjoying an in joke between reader and author. Once the day had arrived then I felt more in tune with the rhythms of the narrative and enjoyed it more.

Don’t get me wrong. This is an incredibly well written book, deftly plotted with good development of character and a truly insightful understanding of what happens behind closed doors in marriages and families. It just wasn’t a book for me on this occasion.

About Liane Moriarty

You can find Liane on Facebook, or visit her website.