The Last Anniversary – Liane Moriarty

TheLastAnniversary

A friend lent me this book for a bit of light entertainment. I wasn’t sure – I had noticed it in the book stores, but hadn’t felt much desire to read it. In fact I enjoyed it so much, I bought another of her books (Three Wishes – which I’ll review later).

This is the story of the Doughty family who own Scribbly Gum Island. Aunt Connie dies and leaves her house to Sophie Honeywell – the ex-girlfriend of Thomas Gordon the grandchild of the ‘Munro Baby’. Scribbly Gum Island is famous for the Munro murder mystery. The Munros (Alice and Jack) simply disappear one day leaving a baby, a cooling marble cake and a stain on the floor that could be blood.

Sophie moves to the island and into the lives of the family – there is the beautiful Grace who is living in her mothers house with the her husband Callum and their newborn baby. Grace’s mother, Laura, has gone a 12 month round the world trip.

There is Enigma, the Munro baby, she loves being the centre of this mystery. There is Margie and Ron. Margie is Enigma’s daughter (and Laura’s sister). Her marriage to Ron is unhappy – he just ignores her.

There is Rose (she and Connie found the Munro baby).

Everyone on the island has secrets. Grace is planning on killing herself, but first she wants to find a new wife for Callum (Sophie). Everyone thinks Margie is attending Weight Watchers meetings, but do they really have that many? And Rose, is she going senile? And what is revealed when the family members turn 40.

I found this story compelling – I wanted to discover the mystery, would Grace realise she had postnatal depression, which man was perfect for Sophie and what was Margie up to?

All is revealed, of course,  at the Anniversary Party. Every year they celebrate the day that Connie and Rose found the Munro baby (Enigma).

The characters are realistic if a bit eccentric and I enjoyed reading an Australian story. Read this novel if you’re looking for something light an entertaining.

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