The sky looks comfortingly mundane compared to the garish kaleidoscope of the stained glass. It makes Rose yearn to be reliving any one of a thousand ordinary days spent with her ordinary older sister, who has now done this extraordinary thing and died.

Every time I find a Liane Moriarty book that I haven’t read yet, I celebrate. However much I end up liking the book, I know that I’m in for some kind of treat. Her writing is engaging, and her characters lively. No exception here. I quite enjoyed the book, despite some irritation at one of the character arcs. It might be my second favorite Moriarty book.

The book is about the various relationships between sisters, daughters, mothers, grandmothers, and friends. Oh sure, there is the secret of the Munroe Baby Mystery that ties everything together, but the draw of the book is the various women and how they approach their relationships with each other. The book also has one of the most heartbreaking depictions of postpartum depression that I’ve read. (Did you know Australians call it post-natal depression? It was both a little jarring, cause it’s not the terminology I’m used to, and very sense making whenever it appeared in the book.) Back in the 1930s the Munroes, a young couple renting a house on an isolated island, disappeared leaving behind their baby for Rose and Connie Thrum to find. The mystery has never been solved and Enigma-the baby- is now a great-grandmother. The island she was found on is a tourist destination that has tours of the Monroe house, and a big anniversary festival every year. And then Connie, who has been the leader on this venture, dies and the family must decide what is important and what can be revealed.

To be honest, I figured out the ‘mystery’ about half-way through the book. There are enough hints dropped that I think most people will figure it out. But as I said, the mystery isn’t the main point of the book, it’s the lives of everyone around the mystery. My one issue with the book is the character arc of Marjorie, one of Enigma’s daughters. She’s overweight, and it’s not handled well. She’s fat-shamed by her family, I mean her daughter gives her a Weight Watchers subscription for Christmas and it’s treated like a joke. Marjorie’s arc is one of re-self discovery, after a marriage that has pounded her into a person she doesn’t recognize she re discovers her sense of humor and love of life. But it only happens when she starts to loose weight. Shedding the weight becomes a metaphor for becoming herself again. It’s… not great. It’s only a small portion of the book, and the rest of the book is so good. I just wish that Marjorie’s self acceptance hadn’t come after weight loss, it sends a gross message about weight and self love.

Issue aside, I liked the book quite a bit. If you’re a Moriarty fan, check this one out.