"So this is how it happens, a part of her thought as she rocked and begged. This is what it feels like. You don’t change. There is no special protection when you cross that invisible line from your ordinary life to that parallel world where tragedies happen. It happens just like this. You don’t become someone else. You’re still exactly the same. Everything around you still smells and looks and feels exactly the same."
As usual, Lianne Moriarty is able to create a mystery out of the most common of events. That's a good thing unless the resolution is not as shocking as one expected to believe. Probably my expectations were too high.
When I read the novel's description in Wikipedia I was intrigued. After the couple is invited by Clementine's old friend Erika to a neighbor's barbecue party, a spiral of intrigue, lust, and betrayal is unleashed. I found no lust, no betrayal, almost nothing that was promised, maybe intrigue but until the second half of the novel. As I read a review on Goodreads, the real title should have been Truly Madly Boring.
PLOT
Three couples, Erika and Oliver, Clementine and Sam, also Vid and Tiffany, got together in a barbecue where things went terribly wrong. What happened? That's the whole mystery of the novel. That day, a marriage started to crumble and for others, it meant a drastic change.
Clementine and Sam are the most damaged after this event. Sam is extremely distant to Clementine and it seems their marriage is on the verge of ending. Clementine tries to save her marriage as she also gets ready for an audition to get a full time job at an orchestra. She attempts to have a clear mind to perform as perfectly as possible, but her personal life keeps her on edge.
Erika is Clementine's best friend much to Clementine's dismay: Clementine has always felt obliged to be Erika's friends due to the adversities that the latter has faced in her life (a difficult childhood with a mother with a hoarding disorder). Erika discovered Clementine's true feelings about her the day of the barbecue after asking for a huge favor: Erika wants to have a child but she needs an egg donor to continue with the in vitro fertilization. Erika's marriage is the stable one with only that minor disadvantage as well as dealing with her mother's mental illness.
Vid is a noisy man with a sexy wife. That's all there is to say about them. Only their daughter, Dakota, is a seemingly interesting character until no longer is. Dakota seems to have done something terrible the day of the barbecue, it sounds like something quite melodramatic and juicy until you really find out what happened.
It all revolves about that disastrous day that just turns out to be an accident, nothing really extraordinary.
STRUCTURE
The novel is narrated in both present and past going one person or a couple at the time, first providing description of their current life to later show a chapter about the preparation of the infamous barbecue's day. Moriarty is able to keep the suspense for the first half of the novel until the big revelation is exposed. The novel is still good after this, but just good, not really intriguing.
THEMES
Commitment in marriage is one of the strongest topics of the novel because at the end of the novel, both main couples must compromise in order to reach stability in their relationship. Communication in a couple is important and is demonstrated on how the relationships are fractured only for not speaking one's mind and giving one's opinion.
Friendship is a dubious topic that makes part of this novel although I am still unsure on how to feel about Clementine and Erika's friendship.
ABOUT THE ENDING
The only conclusion that I enjoyed was Erika's storyline which turned to a point that I did not expect but that was still satisfying. The resolution for the other couples felt lame and extremely predictable.
CHARACTER: 5/10 (none of the characters was really likeable or memorable, in my opinion)
PLOT DEVELOPMENT: 7/10
THEMES: 7/10
GRADE: Average.
What are your thoughts on this book? Did you like it?
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