It’s been argued that 2003 was the best year in pop culture — thanks to Britney and Madonna’s iconic kiss at the VMAs, the premieres of TV shows like The O.C. and The Simple Life, and the launch of iTunes — and we’re not here to dispute that. But there’s another year we’d like to memorialize as game-changing in terms of entertainment: 2017. Not only did we see the New England Patriots make a historic comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl and the infamous Oscars Best Picture mix-up — but it was also the year HBO released one of the most unbelievable ensemble casts ever: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Zoë Kravitz, and Shailene Woodley in Big Little Lies, based on the book of the same name by Liane Moriarty. It centered on a group of moms whose affluent community of Monterey was ripped apart by a shocking death during a school fundraiser. The star power transcended what we thought was possible two years later, when Meryl Streep joined the cast for season 2, based on an unreleased novella Moriarty wrote just for HBO.
It's been almost a decade, and dozens of shows with star-packed casts have aired, but we're still craving more from these particular actresses in those exact roles. Thankfully, season 3 is confirmed, but filming hasn't even started yet. Don't despair: While we wait, we can get our fix in Moriarty's new book Big Little Truths, which will form the basis of season three.
Big Little Truths is set 10 years after the dramatic events of the first book. A lot has changed — the kids are now teenagers, the mothers have forged new bonds — but the book opens, much like the first, with a shocking revelation: a severed finger is delivered to the high school’s headmaster. From there, readers will jump back and forth between flashbacks and the present-day investigation to figure out what happened. We caught up with Moriarty, a number-one NYT bestselling author, about the biggest challenge she faced while writing Big Little Truths, what she can tell us about Big Little Lies season 3, and more.
Katie Couric Media: What made you decide to set Big Little Truths 10 years later, as opposed to the immediate aftermath of Perry's death?
Liane Moriarty: I wanted to create a brand new storyline and mystery, which would have been impossible if I had set it in the immediate aftermath of Perry’s death. I was also very interested in seeing how my characters would have changed over the past decade, and I loved the idea of seeing how they would cope with the challenges of raising teens, as well as exploring the long-term consequences of the traumatic events of the first novel on both the adults and the children.
The book opens with some honest descriptions of menopause symptoms. Why did you want to start the book that way?
It wasn’t a conscious decision. I opened the story with Madeline on the morning of her fiftieth birthday and thought, What would be on her mind? It just made sense that she’d be dealing with menopausal symptoms, and I thought it would be interesting to think about how a confident, forthright person like Madeline might be affected.
What was the biggest challenge you encountered when writing Big Little Truths?
I wanted the book to be a stand-alone novel. I didn’t want readers to feel like they had to have read, re-read, or remember the events of Big Little Lies. So I had to find ways to naturally weave in reminders of what happened in the first book and explain all the complicated backstories without long paragraphs of exposition.
Can you tell us anything about season 3 of HBO's adaptation?
It’s still early days for season 3, but the hope is that filming will commence sometime in 2027. I’m most excited to see who will be cast as Melody Montclair [the new history teacher].
Do you envision these characters coming back for another novel?
I had such fun writing this book; it was like catching up with old friends. So it’s possible I would do it again, but I would want another time jump.
What's the last book you read?
Time Travel for Beginners by my sister, Jaclyn Moriarty. It’s an extraordinary, compelling, beautifully written novel about a suburban time travel agency.
