Apples Never Fall (2021)

A superbly written family drama that has all the elements of a true page turner.

Apples Never Fall is the ninth novel by best-selling Australian author, Liane Moriarty. When sixty-nine-year-old Joy Delaney goes missing on Valentine’s Day after a garbled text message to her four children, they are understandably concerned, especially as certain things (an argument that morning, scratches on his cheek, a professional car clean) sort of make their father, well-known tennis coach, Stan Delaney look guilty.

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The story is told in the present day where Joy Delaney is missing and then back over the previous five months that led up to Joy’s disappearance.
In the present day: the four grown Delaney children are trying to sort out their own feelings and the rising fear that maybe their father has harmed their mother. As police interview each family member it’s clear everyone is holding something back and the circumstantial evidence against their father builds.

“Moriarty gives the reader a level of intimacy with these characters that may cause a lump in the throat on several occasions in the final chapters. A perfect mix of humor, heartache and drama, Moriarty’s latest does not disappoint.”

The Book Guide® Editor

Recently retired Joy and Stan Delaney find that time on their hands leads to resentments, unspoken grievances and regrets.
When a young woman arrives on their doorstep, a clearly distressed Joy invites her to stay. Suddenly Joy has meaning to life as she cares for Savannah.
Savannah also gives Joy the attention that has been lacking from her children. But cracks start to form and everyone starts to wonder what Savannah’s true agenda is.

Moriarty engineers a complex breakdown of each character’s thoughts and dreams and we see everyone is holding something back. The mysteries are layered and compelling.

Apples Never Fall is a keenly observed family drama with finely nuanced characters. Underlying themes of domestic violence, anger and child abuse give a chilling look at parents in competitive sports.

In Apples Never Fall Moriarty depicts marriage and family in all its love, rage, passion, grievances, regrets, dreams, resentments and splendid dysfunctionality. Above all this is a story of the complexity of family and all things that are left unsaid.