Reading books for me is like going on holiday. When I'm reading I should have a sign next to me that says "out of service". I'm not joking, my ears literally stop working when I'm reading a book: I don't even hear my phone, the doorbell or someone talking to me. It's like I'm just not there. Time and again my friends and family need to shake my shoulders to get me back to reality. Or I should say this reality. Because even though books are fiction, in there it's all real. My latest read Big Little Lies by Liane Mortiarty is one of those books with an intriguing reality.
The book is a voluminous 460 page novel, written from the perspective of three women: Madeline, Celeste and Jane.
Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?).
Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.
New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all. [source: Goodreads]One of the reasons I picked up this book was because the story is written around the school environment of the children. Since I'm a teacher I was very interested to see how it portrayed teaching, kids at school, etc.
The real story
But it's not a book about teaching and kids and all the nonsense competitions parents have. It's a book about secrets and lies. Secrets you cannot tell anyone. Secrets you are ashamed of. Lies you tell yourself and others. Secrets and lies that are so big that they consume your world but seem too small to share with that world. It's a book about domestic violence. A book about dark truths and raw emotions. A book with a reality I wouldn't want to be mine.
This book shows the struggle of people who are or have been in an abusive relationship. It's painful and yet beautiful to read about such a hard topic. I never understood women (or men) who stay in an abusive relationship. I always thought they partly brought it on themselves by not leaving, even though they didn't deserve any of it, for whatever reason. But maybe it's not that black and white. It's a fiction book, yes, but it taught me some valuable things about life and I'm really glad I read it.
So, do you have secrets?
I will answer that question for you. Yes you do. Everyone has secrets. Some smaller, some bigger. Some insignificant, some life altering. While I was reading this book I kept thinking: why do we keep secrets? For what reason do we hide things from others? And why do we lie to protect those secrets?
Some secrets we keep to protect ourselves. Some secrets we keep for others, if someone asks us too. Some secrets we try to keep but end up spilling anyway, even when we promised not to. Some secrets we keep to have power over someone else. Some secrets we keep to avoid humiliation. Some secrets we keep to make others curious. Some secrets we keep because they're a surprise. Some secrets we keep because they're too painful to share. And some secrets we keep because we feel ashamed.
But what if we didn't? What if we were to share everything with each other? Whatever big or small secret you carry around, what if you told someone? I believe in that world. A world without secrets. A world without taboos about domestic violence, sexuality, religion, ... A world where you won't have to be afraid to tell the truth, whether you're 6 or 56. A world where you won't have to be ashamed of who you are and what you have experienced.
There will always be people who do bad things. Agreed. Honesty won't fix that. But if we start small, you and me, in our own lives, maybe we could start an #honestrevolution. And just maybe in doing so we will make the world a better place for us and for our children. Because my mom was right: "Honesty is the best policy".
So if you're looking for a voluminous and intriguing read, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty might be it. It has the right amount of jokes and mystery combined with those dark truths and raw emotions I talked about earlier. It's a must read if you like realistic fiction with a message.
