"Big Little Lies" is a beautifully crafted story, one with rich and complex characters, the lives they lead in a small suburban Australian neighborhood, the subtle ways in which they/we deceive one another ending up with one huge deception, hence the tittle. In this novel of Liane Moriarty's, it is a severe case of unsuspecting domestic violence between the statuesque perfection of the seemingly flawless marriage of the stunning Celeste and the charming Perry. The sexual assault, borderline rape of Jane and her resulting child, the wrongly accused bully, five year old Ziggy. The infidelity between multiple couples within the neighborhood, the divorced and remarried Nathan and glittery girl turned woman Madeline whose younger two children from their second marriage now attend kindergarten together is as awkward as it sounds. The climax is the unintentional revenge for the man that is both responsible and symbolic of every rape, every angry slap across a woman's face, every cruel demeaning word that is uttered from an abuser. This results in a deeper understanding that these women have for one another. A coming together between all these women, despite their many differences and past quarrels. In that age-old sisterhood all women crave with empathy and forgiveness they prevail. Far from perfect and endearingly flawed. A story that is dripping with mystery and a balance of humor and characters that walk right beside you, as your eyes skim across the page. You will be lost in the Pirriwee Peninsula filled with kindergarten mothers and their family warfare. Not an epic read, not particularly challenging, but a good read that contains truths that we all too often wish to avoid.