Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Synopsis.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Liane Moriarty comes a novel that looks at marriage, siblings, and how the people we love the most can hurt us the deepest
The Delaney family love one another dearly—it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .
If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?
This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.
The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?
The four Delaney children—Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke—were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.
One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.
Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure—but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light.
The Review
So glad you’re here!This Post Is Called
MIDNIGHT- IN THE STACKS
I talk about one book coming out tomorrow that I was either excited about or still excited about.
Today I’m talking about Liane Moriarty’s APPLES NEVER FALL
Coming September 14, 2021
I was provided a free copy of this audiobook by @librofm and in exchange for my honest review!
Last Wednesday, I was walking through a literary minefield titled APPLES NEVER FALL by Liane Moriarty. About 50% in, I thought I had the book entirely figured out.
I was wrong.
I’m often wrong at guessing the twist and guessing whodunit. That’s part of the fun! What’s not fun is reading merrily along, and then the rug is pulled out from under you.
That doesn’t feel good.
This has only happened to me twice while reading.
The first time was towards the end of Mary Kubica’s WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT.
I’m still reeling from that ending…still pissed!
APPLES NEVER FALL tops that one by far…
I had these wonderful theories of grief and loss and wanting to exchange your life for your neighbors.
I thought it was another WHERE’D YOU GO BERNADETTE!!!
Not exactly.
Or should I say
Not entirely.
The first parts of the book do explore themes of grief and loss. And not from the usual lens of losing a loved one. It is more about losing parts of yourself.
It’s about grieving those moments, those relationships, those dreams that never came to fruition while simultaneously loving the life you’ve lived. It’s a tenuous line to walk.
So many questions were asked…
Are we allowed to grieve for a life we never lived?
What turns grief into regret?
Are you allowed to grieve for what you don’t have when you have so much?
And then…
The second half.
Sadly, not every book is made to be a “thriller” with jaw-dropping twists. Sometimes human nature is surprising enough. And the twist in this one completely ruined it for me.
Yet…THE WRITING!!
THE CHARACTERIZATIONS!
I had such a hard time rating this?!?!?!?!?
It’s a HARD 3.5
Rounded up to four
Ugh, I hate myself!! (and @goodreads rating system, sometimes)
In my opinion, the books kinda look like this:
THE BEST:
BIG LITTLE LIES
THE HUSBANDS SECRET
THE REST:
TRULY MADLY GUILTY
NINE PERFECT STRANGERS
WHAT ALICE FORGOT
EVERYTHING ELSE:
THE LAST ANNIVERSARY
(I haven’t read THE HYPNOTIST or THREE WISHES)
How do you rank them so far?
Are you planning on pre-ordering?
Did you already?
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