APPLES NEVER FALL

In this brand new mystery from Liane Moriarty, the four adult Delaney siblings are not only grappling with the sudden disappearance of their mother, but they are equally shaken by the growing suspicion that their father may be responsible. Their desire to protect their father, and to find their mother, is complicated by a mysterious young woman who was recently taken in by the elder Delaneys under questionable circumstances. A renowned family of tennis talents, the Delaneys are as competitive off the court as they are on, and their dysfunction and resentments have magnified with each decade. This new family drama and missing person mystery explores the limits of trust among spouses, siblings and strangers.

Apples Never Fall raises the compelling and perhaps unsettling question of whether, over the course of a lifetime, we grow to know those closest to us better? Or do they become more like strangers to us with time? And why is it that certain secrets dissolve over decades, while others fester to cause destruction and rage? How do patterns of behavior repeat themselves through generations, and what prompts them to finally change? This is my first mystery in a long while, and I found these kind of “mini mysteries” of human nature and family dynamics as interesting as the disappearance at the center of the story.

Tennis serves, and servings of apple crumble, are at the heart of this book - they are both affection, and competition. Joy Delaney has tried in vain for years to replicate her mother in law’s apple crumble, and after a full afternoon of coring and dicing apples I can confirm it is definitely one of a kind: yum! I am also newly obsessed with my @williamssonoma pie crust molds - not an ad, they are simply perfect for pie season, and US Open season too. I just LOVE-LOVE them! (Sorry, I had to!)