Apples Never Fall and neither does the quality of Liane Moriarty’s writing. Her latest book is true Moriarty with a compelling and twisty storyline that keeps the reader turning pages trying to unravel it.

The novel is set in the outer suburbs of Sydney but could be any suburb in any city of the world. We meet the tennis-devoted Delaney family. Stan and Joy have recently sold their successful tennis coaching business and are adjusting to life as retirees. Their four adult children, who were all once on the tennis playing circuit, are navigating their lives along with their relationships with each other. The Delaney world is disrupted when their mother seemingly disappears. Where has she gone, has she gone willingly, has she gone alone, and what occurs when Stan is increasingly viewed as a suspect and who caused the scratches on Stan’s face?

The story unravels in a series of flashbacks to several months earlier when we are introduced to another character. Details emerge of sibling rivalry, marital discord, criminal histories, infidelities, and neighborhood jealousies. The world of tennis permeates all and yet the story is so much more than a ‘tennis story’.

Once again Moriarty fills her stories with cutting and inciteful commentaries of modern life. Issues of technology abuse, coercive control and mental health are set alongside traditional universal issues of love, family and belonging.

Moriarty has used human frailties set against human strengths to deliver a novel of depth, detail, and distinction. Fans will be further convinced of her talent and readers new to her writing will soon understand why she is held up as one of Australia’s best contemporary writers.

Reviewed by Kathryn Eyre