Apples Never Fall

by Lianne Moriarty

Sometimes serendipity selects the right book. A copy of a 2021 book called Apples Never Fall by Australian author Lianne Moriarty was discovered in the Esplanade exchange library and became the January reading for our Club.   Moriarty is a best-selling Australian author and has written screenplays for popular TV series like “Big Little Lies” and “Nine Perfect Strangers.”

Lest a reader think that Moriarty is only a pop writer, Apples Never Fall explores deep, universal themes. Ostensibly, it’s about a woman named Joy, age 69, who goes missing from her home for over three weeks. Her four adult children struggle to understand whether their father, named Stan, is a suspect in this disappearance. Stan struggles to maintain his innocence, although like many spouses he seems to have a lot to hide.

The game of tennis is their bond and backdrop to Apples Never Fall. Before they retired, Joy and Stan ran a very successful tennis academy and raised four children. Each of the children could have become a champion tennis player but have pursued different careers.  Moriarty has weaves through the book a story about aspirational parenting and how children and teens are pushed to succeed, whatever their game.

Apples Never Fall  jumps back and forth in time to provide clues about Joy’s disappearance, and to uncover the deceptions that the characters tell themselves and others.  There are some lovely lines in the book like these: “the secret of a happy marriage is to step away from the rage,” and “every person you meet starts out as a stranger…your father was a stranger when I first met him.”

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty is one of these rare “picks” (pun intended) that almost everyone in the book group enjoyed reading and had something good to say about.  P.S. The Esplanade resident who first shared the book is graciously thanked.

 Jane Gould