Liane Moriarty draws upon real life headlines of her story in Big Little Truths by examining the complexities of modern women’s lives, shining light on shame and family secrets with wit and compassion.  The story starts ten years ago, at the Pirriwee Primary school gates, the friendships of Celeste, Jane and Madeline were forged in the fires of young motherhood, the big little lies will tell us to hide our deepest fears and secrets – and the event that changed everything. Now mothers to hormonal teens, these frazzled friends are starting to worry about the strangers occupying their kids’ bedrooms. Or they would, if they weren’t distracted by their own problems.

Madeline’s landmark birthday is about to land a bombshell. Jane’s rock-solid marriage is suddenly crumbling and Celeste’s mother-in-law Mary Louise, is behaving oddly and asking awkward questions about the past. Then there is this mystery of who sent the school principal a freshly severed finger.

When a strange man begins lurking around the school asking supposedly innocent questions, this tightly connected group of women must finally face the full repercussions of the big little truths they have and haven’t shared with their kids. Because the stakes are now much higher than no being invited to an ice-skating show- and the ice has never been thinner for any of them.

Such a pity then that not a one of them can see the biggest ugliest truth hiding in their midst.

Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty, £11.00, Michael Joseph, 496 pages.