Not a single page disappoints ... Truly Madly Guilty may take place on the other side of the world, but Moriarty’s sly sense of humor, vivid characters and her frank appraisal of suburban life make it clear that this barbecue could have happened anywhere, to anyone. The dilemma is universal — and irresistible. The only difficulty with Truly Madly Guilty? Putting it down.
It has all the requisite trademarks of one of her hits (The Husband’s Secret, What Alice Forgot), a three-word title included. It probes some of the things she writes about best: fraught friendships, covert backbiting, stale marriages. And its format has become standard for her, with brief, maddening flashes of Whatever-It-Is that don’t gel until she’s ready to let them. All of it is formulaic by now. But it’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.
Unfortunately, all of the present-day distress overshadows the final reveal. By the time readers discover what really happened on that 'ordinary day,' we’re preoccupied with things going on in the present. What will happen to Erika’s mum? Is Clementine going to win an orchestra seat? Can Tiffany steer her little family in the right direction? Even faster alternating chapters don’t help. Still, Moriarty is a deft storyteller who creates believable, relatable characters.
Alas, Truly Madly Guilty is a bit of a letdown, a summer bummer, if you will...The real sin of Truly Madly Guilty is that it’s simply not as much fun as The Husband’s Secret or Big Little Lies.
[Moriarty] loves to tease out a mystery, and it takes Truly nearly 300 pages to arrive at its relentlessly foreshadowed central event ... The book devotes so much energy to aftermath before reaching its big reveal that it begins to feel like a very special, very frustrating episode of CSI: BBQ. The last twist, though, is nearly worth the wait, and what sets Moriarty’s writing apart in the genre generally dismissed as chick lit has as much to do with her canny insights into human nature as her clever plotting.
...add a life-altering event into the mix, and the direction of any relationship can change course, asking the question 'who is to blame?' Liane Moriarty’s latest novel, Truly Madly Guilty, delves into that question and does it with a top-drawer character perspective that truly, madly puts this novel into a class of its own ... What exactly that incident is isn’t revealed until well within the novel, but what we learn about each of these characters both pre- and post-barbecue is the life force of Ms. Moriarty’s masterpiece ... The 'pre- and post-barbecue' chapter structure can be intimidating from the surface, but it’s just as vital to the story as its well-developed cast ...the story does lose some of its mysterious steam, but Ms. Moriarty does a wonderful job regaining momentum, revealing occurrences that culminate in the story’s satisfying conclusion, which, yet again, is extremely relatable and thought-provoking.
The book runs unnecessarily long. Sure, clues can be found in each chapter, but whole pages can feel superfluous. Characters becoming drained by their guilt leaves readers tired too. Moriarity makes up for the extreme build-up — and inequivalent payoff — by giving readers an honest portrayal of friendship ... The trials, triumphs and revelations of Clementine and Erika's friendship save Truly Madly Guilty.
