Liane Moriaty reveals a 10-year time jump
“Big Little Lies” author Liane Moriarty has revealed details about her highly anticipated follow-up novel, which will serve as the basis for Season 3 of the hit HBO show.
In an interview with USA today, Moriarity has announced that its new novel, “Big Little Truths,” will be published by Penguin Random House on August 25. The book continues the story of a group of women – Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata and Bonnie – who bonded when they became embroiled in a murder investigation. In the new book, the action jumps forward a decade.
“If someone wasn’t invited to a child’s birthday party, their feelings were hurt,” a synopsis of the new book teases. “But ten years have passed and the kids are now in high school, with all the drama that comes with teendom (goodbye playdates, hello drugs, sex and alcohol).”
Season 3 of the hit HBO series was officially announced last fall, with Francesca Sloan, co-creator of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” would write the first episode and executive produce. David E. Kelley, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon will also executive produce, with Kidman and Witherspoon leading the cast. Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley and Zoë Kravitz are also expected to reprise their roles.
The inciting incident for the new story occurs after the high school principal receives a severed human finger in the mail, sending the parents into an uproar. But the women, formerly known as the Monterey 5, have their own problems.
The summary continues: Celeste’s mother-in-law, Mary Louise, is behaving strangely: is it old age forgetfulness and frankness, or is there something more sinister? Madeline faces perhaps the greatest challenge of her life, Jane finds herself at a dangerous rift in her marriage, and Bonnie realizes that there is only so much comfort in yoga. And Renate? Renata is living her best life – revenge is sweet.
When a strange man lurks around the school asking supposedly innocent questions, this tightly knit group of women must finally face the full consequences of the big little truths they have and have not shared with their children. Because the stakes are a lot higher now than not being invited to a skating show – and the ice has never been thinner for any of them.
When “Big Little Lies” debuted on HBO in 2017, the project was intended as a limited series. The show saw major critical success in its first season, winning Emmys for Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series (Kidman), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series (Dern), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series (Alexander Skarsgård), and more.
Season 2, which aired in 2019, was based on Moriarty’s unpublished novella and explored the aftermath of the murder. Screen legend Meryl Streep joined the already star-studded cast, playing Perry’s mother, Mary Louise, and earning an Emmy nomination.
Moriarty is not particularly involved with the show, and in the interview she said that the series team did not have any input on the plot of the new book. But they did inspire some of her writing. “It’s all Laura Dern’s fault because she was so great as Renata,” Moriarty said. “It was impossible for me not to give her a bigger role in this book. You couldn’t put Renata in a corner.”
