Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty focuses on the Delaney family. The head of the family Joy and Stan are known for having ran the Delaney Tennis school for thirty years. The business has now been sold and they are now struggling to move forward with their lives. Then out of the blue a mysterious woman called Savannah comes to their home having suffered injuries that point to domestic abuse. She goes from staying overnight, to spending months at the Delaney’s home. The Delaney children aren’t too happy when the time comes for them to force Savannah out, Joy unexpectedly vanishes.
Her four children are more than surprised and take their concern to the police. All fingers point to their father being the primary suspect in the missing case. Her phone was found under her bed and all children recieved a strange message telling them that Joy was “going off th grid”. Changes have also been made to the interior of their home. Did their father really kill their mother? Who is Savannah and is she involved? Well you’ll have to read the book to find out won’t you😉.
Joy and Stan have four children. Firstly there’s Amy hampered by issues with her mental health, Amy is finding it difficult to settle down. Then we have Logan who is a communications teacher and enjoys being a handy man by fixing things around his parents home. The third child is Troy who is divorced and works in trading. Finally we have Brooke who is troubled by her constant migraines which impact her life. She is in turn having a lot of trouble running her business.
This is my first time reading a Liane Moriarty novel and I understand why her books are well enjoyed. This book was a great thriller full of twists and turns that will make your head spin 360. I was totally hooked by the premise and the characters. At the face of things it’s your traditional murder mystery, however it’s more than just that. It’s about family and the the way events in our childhood mould us into who we are.
The Delaney’s are very relatable in terms of being a dysfunctional family and Liane Moriarty does well in investing your emotions into them. Each of them have their own distinct personalities and demons which allows for individualism.
I also loved the mysteriousness behind Savannah. As a reader you start questioning yourself as to whether she’s telling the truth or if she’s just trying to scam the old couple. Moriarty does fantastic in making you second guess everything.
“What can you tell me about this woman who lived with your parents for a while, last year, was it? Both your sis ters mentioned her.”
“Savannah,” he said heavily. “Yeah, well, speaking of complicated. That got complicated for a while there.”
In terms of the writing style and pacing, the story moves from past to present as we slowly dissect the Delaney family. It was definitely a page turner and hard to put down once opened. Moriarty creates this cacoon of suspense that is ready to burst at any moment. There were thankfully many humourous moments which allowed for balance.
Overall, this was an interesting read. I enjoyed the complexities of all of the characters and how we get to see behind the curtains of what really went on with the Delaney family. Like many families, the Delaney’s are incredibly complex we may think we know it all but we really don’t. The ending and reveal tied up everything superbly and was definitely a surprise. So if you’re looking for a page turner then this is definitely one I’d recommend!
Thank you Henry Holt for sending me an early copy! The book is out this month 😊
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