Review: Apples Never Fall

Title: Apples Never Fall

Author: Liane Moriarty

Publisher: 14th September 2021 by Pan Macmillan Australia

Pages: 460 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: fiction, mystery, thriller, suspense 

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

The Delaney family love one another dearly—it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .

If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?

This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.

The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?

The four Delaney children—Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke—were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.

One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.

Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure—but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light.

My Thoughts

‘Everyone had secrets.’

I really wanted to ‘love’ this book given my association with tennis and Liane’s reputation, and whilst it had some fantastic elements, it was not the blockbuster I had hoped for. Liane is Australian writing royalty and this latest offering has been highly anticipated by her huge fan base. Apples Never Fall is a suburban mystery tale that sees complex, tension filled,  family issues come under Liane’s unique microscope of satire and clever observations. 

Liane is the master of layering a story with lots of small, seemingly insignificant details and moments, that give you pause to ponder what is really going on behind closed doors. This is a book where a copious amount of effort has been put into the background story and character analytics of all those involved. Here you will find Liane’s trademark blend of wit, humour, especially in relation to domestic issues and a gentle mystery is added to this complex family drama. The problem is that it is super long in some sections that I feel could have been better edited t0 pack that real punch that I was looking for in the mystery aspect.

At its heart, this is the story of family, a look at the dynamics and everyday life of its members. This is where Liane truly shines and people are sure to relate. So whilst the mystery is not what many were expecting, I cannot help but feel she was striving for something more than the classic thriller. It’s clever, it’s thought provoking and it is most entertaining. 

‘Once your mother has momentum no-one can beat her,’ Stan always said, and he was talking about tennis but every single thing Logan’s dad said about tennis could also be applied to life.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.