I think everyone has heard of Liane Moriarty by now. Her books are huge bestsellers and are being adapted into movies and TV series. I think what makes her so enjoyable is that though she writes about serious subjects, she remains grounded, and often though her books look at complex problems, there’s always a balance of humour.

In this book, three strands weave together. Cecilia, wife and mother, pillar of her small suburban community, finds a letter from her husband to be opened in the event of his death. It contains a terrible secret about his past that threatens to shatter their lives and the lives of those around them. Rachel has slowly started to find solace in her grandson after her daughter was murdered years before, but her son and grandchild are about to move away. And Tess finds out that her husband is cheating on her with her cousin who is also her business partner and best friend. When she flees home to escape her problems, she finds herself drawn to her ex-boyfriend, who may have had something to do with the death of Rachel’s daughter.

On the one hand, the book looks at the types of women who live in suburban Australia, and gently pokes fun of their obsessions with things like queuing for expensive macarons and being involved with school functions. But through this, Moriarty shows their humanity and their vulnerability. She draws you into the lives of everyday people, and then throws those characters a curve ball: How well do you really know the ones you love?

Reading Moriarty is always a pleasure, and this book is one of her most well known. It keeps you interested and guessing, it makes you fall in love with it’s characters, and it breaks your heart, before resolving all those little mysteries it posits. An emotional ride, with warmth and a little humour sometimes too.

Read It If: you’ve ever wondered what you don’t know about your husband or boyfriends past…