Big Little Lies, by Liane Morarity

Characters
Parents and Children Pirriwee Public School -  Sydney, Australia	Others
Madeline Martha Mackenzie Ed – 2nd husband Abigail – 14 (with Nathan) Fred – 7 Chloe – Kindergarten   Nathan – Madeline’s ex-husband Bonnie – wife Skye – Kindergarten   Jane Ziggy – Kindergarten   Celeste Perry – husband Josh and Max – twins, Kindergarten   Reneta Geoff – husband Juliette – nanny Jackson Amabelle – Kindergarten   Blond Bobs – PTA Harper	Miss Patty Ponder – lives next to school Lucy Ponder – hair dresser, daughter   Miss Barnes – Kindergarten teacher   Detective-Sergeant Adrian Quinlan   Tom O’Brien – owner, Blue Blues   Saxon Banks (Perry)   Susi – Celeste’s counselor

For discussion:

NOTE:  Page numbers refer to the hardback edition.

1. How could Miss Barnes have handled the incident on Orientation Day more effectively?    Was that possible given the parents involved?
2. On page 169 was the first clue that it was a parent who had been murdered.  As you read, who did you think was the victim and the perpetrator?  Did your idea keep changing?
3. How well did the author depict the struggles of parenting?  Did she sensationalize the struggles or was it realistic?

4. The book addresses many serious issues such as:
1. Domestic violence
2. Bullying
3. Women’s body image
4. Self-esteem issues
5. Divorce
6. Step-parenting/shared parenting/single parenting
7. Working mothers and stay-at-home mothers
8. Infidelity
9. Gay stereotyping

Are there any other issues you identified?  How well did the author address these issues?  Do you think the author planned this book as purely entertainment or to draw attention to these issues?

5. Through Jane the book addressed women’s feelings of inferiority.  Madeline at one point thought, “It seemed to her that Jane’s mother had probably helped lay the groundwork for Jane’s mixed up feelings about food.  The media had done its bit, and women in general, with their willingness to feel bad about themselves, and then Saxon Banks had finished the job.” (page 197)   What were your feelings about this? 
6. What did you think about Jane’s feeling of doubt about Ziggy’s innocence regarding the choking incident on Orientation Day?  Do we ever really know what our children will do?  What anyone will do?
7. Did you like Bonnie?  Do you think Madeline would have liked her if she was not Nathan’s second wife?
8. How did you feel when it was revealed that Juliette and Goeff were having an affair?  Did you feel sympathy for Reneta or something else?
9. Did you like the way the author often hinted at something else the reader does not know yet?  For example:
1. Page 396 when Bonnie ways, “I’ve had personal experience.”
2. Page 151 when Nathan hints that financially things were tight for them and about his sports car not being worth what Madeline thought.

10. When Madeline and Ed were talking about lying about Perry’s death, Madeline said, “…but sometimes doing the wrong thing was also right.”  (page 430)   Do you agree?  Is this possible?
11. If Bonnie had not confessed, would you have gone along with the cover-up?  Why do you think Madeline in particular was going to lie for Bonnie, who she did not like?
12. On page 433 Madeline thought about there being so many levels of evil such as, “Small evils like her own malicious words…Bigger evils like walking out on your wife and newborn baby or sleeping with your child’s nanny.”  Does the “level of evil” make a difference?  Are there also levels of goodness?
13. What were the big and little “lies” in the novel?

*****

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