Big Little Lies Summary: Plot, Characters and Themes of Liane Moriarty's Novel
What Big Little Lies is about
Big Little Lies is a novel by the Australian author Liane Moriarty. Penguin published it in July 2014. It made the New York Times Best Seller list and won the Davitt Award in 2015.
The story centres on Pirriwee Public School on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Jane is a single mother whose son, Ziggy, is about to start kindergarten. On her way to the school she meets Madeline, a mother with a daughter the same age. Madeline's friend Celeste is sending her twin sons, Max and Josh, to the same school. The two women take to Jane, and the three become friends.
Each of them carries a problem. Madeline resents how close her daughter from a previous marriage is growing to Bonnie, the new wife of Madeline's ex-husband. Celeste is physically abused by her wealthy banker husband, Perry. Jane was raped and has raised Ziggy on her own. Then, at orientation, Ziggy is accused of bullying a girl called Amabella. For a newcomer, it is a bad start.
Over the following months the friendship deepens. Jane tells the others that Ziggy is the result of a rape by a man named Saxon Banks when she was 19. Celeste and Madeline realise that this is the name of Perry's cousin. They decide not to tell Jane for now. Meanwhile Celeste's marriage grows more violent. She starts seeing a counsellor and secretly rents a flat for herself and the boys. Ziggy is accused of bullying Amabella again and again denies it. Jane learns he is keeping a secret about who is really hurting Amabella. Everything builds towards the school's Trivia Night.
The main characters
Jane is a young single mother new to the school community. She is raising Ziggy alone after being raped at 19. When her son is labelled a bully, his reputation becomes her burden as well.
Ziggy is Jane's son. He insists he did not hurt Amabella. He also knows more than he is willing to say.
Madeline is quick to befriend Jane. Her trouble is a familiar one. She struggles to accept her ex-husband's new wife and the bond growing between that woman and her daughter.
Celeste is Madeline's friend and the mother of twins Max and Josh. From the outside her life looks comfortable. In private her husband is violent, and she begins planning a way out.
Perry is Celeste's husband, a rich banker who abuses her.
Bonnie is married to Madeline's ex-husband. Madeline sees her as a rival for her daughter's affection.
The themes
Family. The novel sets several families side by side. There is a single mother, a blended family and a wealthy couple with twins. None of them is simple. The book keeps asking what children absorb from the adults around them at home.
Friendship. Jane, Madeline and Celeste support each other and share painful secrets. Yet they also hold things back. Celeste and Madeline keep what they know about Saxon Banks from Jane. The title points to this. Small lies are told to protect people, and they still carry weight.
Justice. A playground row over bullying sits at the heart of the plot. Who is believed, and who gets the blame? Those questions start with five-year-olds and grow to cover adult crimes that have gone unpunished.
Identity. Several characters live with a gap between how they appear and who they are. Celeste presents a polished life while hiding abuse. Jane is shaped by an assault she has carried for years. Ziggy is branded a bully before anyone knows the truth.
Why it still matters
Big Little Lies reached the New York Times Best Seller list and won the Davitt Award the year after publication. Its lasting draw is the way it places serious subjects inside an ordinary setting. School-gate politics, playground disputes and friendships between parents sit right next to rape and domestic abuse. The book shows that such violence can be hidden in a comfortable coastal suburb behind a respectable family.
The ending (spoilers)
Stop here if you do not want to know how the book ends.
Ziggy writes down the name of the child hurting Amabella. It is Max, one of Celeste's twins. Jane is unsure how to raise this with Celeste. On Trivia Night, Josh tells his mother that Max is the bully. Celeste realises Max is copying Perry and decides to leave him. Perry discovers the flat. The couple argue but still go to the Trivia Night.
At the school, Jane sees Perry and recognises him as the man who raped her. She confronts him in front of Madeline and Celeste. Celeste remembers Perry's childhood stories about using his cousin's name to stay out of trouble. Perry admits the rape and shows no remorse. In the argument that follows he hits Celeste. Bonnie, enraged by what she has seen, pushes him. He falls from the balcony and dies.
Afterwards Madeline learns that Bonnie's father was abusive. Seeing Perry's violence brought back memories of watching her father beat her mother. Everyone on the balcony agrees to lie to protect Bonnie. She turns herself in anyway. She is convicted of accidental manslaughter and sentenced to 200 hours of community service.
A year after Perry's death, Celeste works at a family law firm and has set up a trust fund for Ziggy. She speaks publicly about her abusive marriage and opens her speech with the words "This can happen to anyone."
