Ten years have passed since the dramatic incidents depicted in BIG LITTLE LIES, Liane Moriarty’s blockbuster novel that became the basis for the HBO series of the same name. The kindergartners have become high schoolers, and the parents are dealing with their aging folks, as well as their own aging. Madeline’s 50th birthday party begins this dishy new chapter in the lives of Madeline and her friends Celeste, Jane, Bonnie and Renata. 

It can feel a little daunting to wrap your head around so many characters, but keep reading. Moriarty’s deft hints will soon have you sorted out --- and even remembering which high schooler belongs to which mom.

Humanity’s foibles and follies are always prime fodder for Moriarty, and one of the joys of reading her work is chuckling along in recognition. Here’s Madeline musing about her mother: “Any kind of technology issue sent her mother into a spiral. Why couldn’t things just work the way they were meant to work? Why was everything so complicated? How should she know her Apple password?” There’s also a spot-on sendup of a parents’ WhatsApp school group, full of gossip, musings and questions like “What time is band practice tomorrow?”

"Humanity’s foibles and follies are always prime fodder for Moriarty, and one of the joys of reading her work is chuckling along in recognition."

That’s just one of the devices that keeps BIG LITTLE TRUTHS spinning. The principal at the local high school receives a severed human finger in the mail, and this becomes “D-Day.” Subsequent chapters are identified by their temporal relation to it. The boxed finger is pointed at the name of the wildly popular new history teacher, Melody Montclair. “She was a striking red-haired woman in her early, maybe late forties. Her features were all oversized. Depending on the angle, she could appear beautiful or ugly. It was somehow a European face, although she had no particular accent. She sounded on the edge of posh.” 

Naturally an investigation of the finger ensues, and we get to know the teenagers through bits of the transcript of the resulting group therapy session. Chloe, Madeline’s kid, has been particularly sullen, but Madeline has more to worry about: her husband’s and mother’s health, and her older daughter Abigail’s “perfect boyfriend.” He makes a big production of proposing to Abigail at Madeline’s fancy birthday bash. It’s way too soon, not to mention he’s stealing her thunder. Her sensible daughter becomes obsessed with planning the perfect wedding, and Madeline finds herself racing between wedding dress shopping and her husband’s oncologist appointments. 

Meanwhile, Celeste and Jane, the other viewpoint characters, have their own challenges. Linked by their relationship with the same abusive man detailed in BIG LITTLE LIES, they have become friends and are parenting teen sons of that man. Celeste becomes infatuated by the strange man who shows up at a high school presentation about connecting with your moody teen. But is she falling for another man with issues? Jane’s dear husband, Tom, is a great stepparent to her son, but he’d love to have a child with her. Can she face pregnancy and childbirth again just to please him? 

D-Day, when the finger is delivered to school, is capped by the teens’ history project. Kids and parents alike gather to watch the documentaries they have been making about misunderstood historical figures. Suffice it to say, it’s a wild night. 

As Moriarty says in the foreword, it’s not necessary to have read BIG LITTLE LIES to appreciate BIG LITTLE TRUTHS. And you probably could wait for the third season of “Big Little Lies,” for which this delicious novel lays the groundwork. But you would miss out on some savory and highly enjoyable reading. The book is always better.