REVIEW: BIG LITTLE LIES BY LIANE MORIARTY

Published by Audible Audio, 2014.
Goodreads Description
         This is why I read. I adored this story in so many ways, and spent almost a month with it. I might reinstate my Audible account so I can have more of Moriarty's books on audio, as Caroline Lee brought these characters to life. I literally teared up when I realized my time with Jane, Celeste, and Madeline was about to end. She covers so much ground in this story. The lies we tell people for myriads of reasons, cycles of abuse, making erroneous snap judgements (with devastating consequences), hard-fought forgiveness, female friendships, and navigating the treacherous waters of parenthood to name just a very few!
      I underestimated this book from the description. I didn't imagine that the average family/relationship drama with kids at school could contain so many layers. Silly me. I felt incredible amounts of empathy for these women, and desperately wanted the best outcome for them. They each screwed up royally, but tried to forge ahead the best way they could. 
     The story being told leading up to the tragic "Trivia Night" was a brilliant narrative choice that added just the right amount of mystery to an already excellent story. For the last quarter of the book, I almost forgot I was reading fiction. While the trivia night was an exaggerated account of events that could take place with too much alcohol/late food arrival, most of the occurrences seemed feasible.....with an odd blend of frightening and funny.
      Most importantly, it opened my eyes to areas of people's private lives that I have been privileged enough not to experience. This is a grand statement, but I came away with an understanding of abuse that I had never achieved with any other book. Do we mean to look away? Do we pay enough attention to the people in our lives? We can also learn a lot about kindness through childhood innocence. It's adults that often muddle situations with our interference (sometimes!). 
      I think there is something in this for every female who has had ANY kind of relationship, which is all of us. It was deeply heartfelt and intensely resonated with me. I'd particularly recommend it to anyone working in the school system, as there are some funny insights from poor Ms. Barnes, the kindergarten teacher. She was a hoot. 
       The only tiny negative I must mention is it drags a bit at the beginning. The plot is secondary to Moriarty forming our connection to the people and relationships. Caroline Lee's narration bumped this up several notches, especially with her emotive exclamations of "Oh Calamity!" and "For God Sakes!" The Australian charm in her accent added to the ambience of the water-front community location. I'm hoping Moriarty's other works are as wonderful as this one... she'll be well on her way to becoming a favorite author. I'm sure I will re-listen to this one day.

REVIEW: DAYS OF AWE BY LAUREN FOX

Published by Knopf, 2015. Hardcover, 256 pgs.

      Isabel Moore, in her early forties, is an elementary school teacher in Milwaukee. Her best friend has died, she is recently divorced, and her adolescent daughter is going through the usual angst with life. Basically, Isabel is sad and trying to pull herself out of depression. This is not a plot driven book, the main events are laid out right at the beginning and the rest is a focus on Isabel's internal struggles and some poor discussions she makes in an attempt to pull herself out of her mid-life crisis. The decisions aren't overly destructive, just a bit insensitive in that she tries to use other people to feel better, and causes a couple scenes with old friends when they try to move on with their lives. I really liked the interactions with Isabel's mom, as it shows our parents have been through some of our own experiences and can help put things in perspective.

      While the events she experiences are sad, I was only slightly sympathetic with Isabel's character. Sounds bad, but I didn't even like the enigmatic and wild friend she was mourning either. I just didn't connect, except in some instances with raising girls and the heartbreak that can entail. All of the men present were wishy-washy and meh too, with a few points awarded to Isabel's ex for being a good dad. Due to the disconnect, I didn't feel invested in the story.

     The writing was quite lovely and there were some nice quotes. However, the narrative just felt a little recycled and stale...like a story that has been written time and time again. I understand it's because these are common life experiences, especially for women who might want to start over. However, I've read novels that spoke to me in a more interesting and nuanced way. One such book with an unlikable protagonist is the teacher from Claire Messud's The Woman Upstairs (strange parallels even though that character was unmarried and without children). She made you cringe but there was this draw to find out more and become invested in her life. I feel bad, but don't think this book will be particularly memorable in a few months.