Liane Moriarty on her new novel 'Big Little Truths'
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What inspired Liane Moriarty to discuss her Irish family roots on the show?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance. Now, Leanne Moriarty's novel Big Little Lies sold millions of copies worldwide. Now the wait for a sequel is over because Big Little Truths picks up where the story left off. And Leanne Moriarty joins me now. You're so welcome to the programme, Leanne.
Thank you so much, Clare.
Now, you described yourself previously as being from a big Irish Catholic family.
Is that right? Yes, that's absolutely true. That's right.
Have you been here, though?
Oh, yes. I've been there for work and also when I was in my 20s, I did a trip with two of my sisters to the Dingle Peninsula, which we believe is where we came from. And I talked a lot about how I felt my Irish blood stirring because it was so beautiful.
How did the idea of a sequel to *Big Little Lies* first come up for Moriarty?
I was very proud to be there. to be from there.
Oh, that's incredible. So you have done some work on tracing the roots, but it sounds to me like there is more of the story to be filled in for you and your family.
Well, it's a few generations back and it was my grandfather who... who used to say we came from County Kerry. And of course, that's one side of the family. The other side of the family all has different, a little bit of Italian, supposedly.
Well, listen, we're delighted to claim you as our own, Leanne.
And with a name like
Moriarty, you're one of the family now. So let's set that
down
in
stone. And I sure look more Irish than Italian.
Do you? Well, look, we're very
happy
for you to be part of the Irish family. Your success has been incredible.
Why did Moriarty decide to set *Big Little Truths* back in Australia instead of the U.S.?
I mean, it's stratospheric to say the least. And I think lots of people listening will be familiar with the TV series with Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep and all of the rest. But you'd never written a sequel before Big Little Truths. Did the TV people put the pressure on or were you really up for writing the next instalment?
They did right in the beginning because I can recall Rhys saying to me right in the early days, would you think about a sequel? And I can clearly remember saying, oh, no, I'm sorry, I'm not going to be like the Game of Thrones guy because I had never considered writing a sequel to any of my books. But then the first thing that... that happened was when they did season two, I did write something for that. But I wrote that just for the show. So I wrote it with an American accent. And I was just imagining it scene by scene happening on the screen. But then as the years went by and people loved the show so much, and I would sort of dither over the years and say, should I write a sequel? And it occurred to me because Big Little Lies is about three women who meet when their children start primary school.
Do you say primary school? Yes, we do.
What role did the TV adaptation play in shaping new characters for the sequel?
Is that what you say in America? They say elementary school.
No, we're primary school too. You see, we're at one here, Leanne. You're one of us.
Oh, good, good. Yes, and it occurred to me that when they started high school perhaps or when they were teenagers and I went back and forth over the years and then I was actually writing a book set in a high school and I'd written a few other novels and then there was another wave of talk about why isn't there a season three of Big Little Lies? And that's when I thought, I know I'll put this high school storyline into the world of Big Little Lies. And finally, I said, yes, I will do it.
I like how in this book, though, you have reclaimed it and you've taken it back to Australia because the temptation must have been strong to continue with the American setting, given that that became so huge with the TV series.
Oh, no, there was no temptation whatsoever. No, no, no. Because the book, for me, had to follow on from the book. So we had to be back in Australia. It would make no sense to me if all my characters suddenly became American.
How did Moriarty incorporate Meryl Streep’s middle name into the book’s character Mary Louise?
Having said that, I also have written an author's note at the beginning of the book where I... I sort of confess how the adaptation did affect me. So, for example, the character of Renata, who's played so magnificently by Laura Dern, she only had a small role in the first book.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What inspired Liane Moriarty to discuss her Irish family roots on the show?
0:01–1:03
2
How did the idea of a sequel to *Big Little Lies* first come up for Moriarty?
1:03–1:54
3
Why did Moriarty decide to set *Big Little Truths* back in Australia instead of the U.S.?
1:54–3:25
4
What role did the TV adaptation play in shaping new characters for the sequel?
3:25–4:50
5
How did Moriarty incorporate Meryl Streep’s middle name into the book’s character Mary Louise?
4:50–5:57
6
Why did Moriarty design *Big Little Truths* to work as a standalone novel?
5:57–7:29
7
How does Moriarty handle criticism and emotional vulnerability as a bestselling author?
7:29–8:45
8
What final thoughts does Moriarty share about the book’s release and future visits to Ireland?
8:45–10:10