Of the many reasons to read, few pull to me quite as often as the desire to break up a monotonous afternoon. There is a whole genre of books published to entertain away a boring Saturday. Perhaps because I read them regularly, I am often struck by their lack of originality. In fact I have come to think of a whole subset of my reading as the Liane Canon.
If you’re reading a book blog, you probably know who Liane is: Liane Moriarty, the Aussie phenom behind Big Little Lies. I don’t know if it’s fair to give her credit for inventing this genre, but she was the one I discovered first. In my reading, I have discovered a boatload of Liane imitators. Their plots include four essential elements which I will describe briefly.
- The harried protagonist. Always a white, affluent, suburban woman who is married with small children. There is usually some humor about her imperfections as a wife and mother. Sometimes there is a hint that her husband is harboring a game changing secret.
- The relatable dilemma. This is always centered in some kind of domestic drama. If there is a murder plot, the victim is a neighbor or relative of the protagonist. If it’s an ethical dilemma, it usually involves the kids.
- Yoga moms. There is often an antagonist who is a yoga enthusiast.
- The Rock Reveal. The heart of these stories almost always boils down to a moment when the protagonist looks under a metaphorical rock and sees something she wishes she hadn’t: murder, domestic violence, a criminal secret.
This week’s book hits most of the points on the Liane Canon. The protagonist, Nat, is a married defense lawyer living in a charming Florida tourist town. Her husband, Will, mocks her for being too uptight. He is also checking his locked phone more than Nat would like. Nat adores their son, Charlie, a fifth grader. (Maternal love is a big part of these plots, too.)
One day, scrolling through her husband’s camera, Nat sees a photo of Charlie looking troubled. This is the rock she shouldn’t look under. But what mother wouldn’t?
What unspools from there is a rather dark revenge story. The author does not properly lay the foundation for the vigilante theme, making it a bit over the top. I enjoyed the book in a trashy, time killing way. If you are looking for character-driven crime fiction, though, look elsewhere.
Books Smitten 