Apples Never Fall

Liane Moriarty is at her best when she is exploring complicated family dynamics, which might explain why [b:Nine Perfect Strangers 39280445 Nine Perfect Strangers Liane Moriarty https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529076901l/39280445.SY75.jpg 62505329] was somewhat of a disappointment (and don't get me started on the disastrous tv show). I'm still not a huge fan of the switching back and forth between present and past to keep the reader guessing what happened, but within that structure Moriarty incisively portrays the inner lives of a 60 year old couple and their four adult children. She's especially good at showing how a long-term marriage can be comprised of love, hate, resentment, and secrets, to the point where it's just as easy to imagine the husband killing his wife as to imagine him being devastated by her disappearance. Two memorable scenes in particular in which all of the family members hash out their long-held grievances were so well written that I held my breath while reading them. The book is long, and the ending falters a little (I would have been happy to omit the last chapter entirely) but it gave me quite the book hangover, and the need to take a break so I could process everything I had just experienced.