THREE LITTLE TRUTHS

Three women from a suburban development in Ireland find surprising connections to each other as they attempt to move forward from mistakes they’ve each made in the past.

A hodgepodge group of neighbors from Pine Road, Dublin, uses WhatsApp to manage their poker schedule, but the chat group functions more as a gossip-filled neighborhood watch. When a new family moves into No. 8, the poker group is in a tizzy trying to collect information about the new neighbors. Edie Rice is particularly intrigued, not only because she loves a good mystery, but also because the new arrivals solidify Edie’s status as a longer-standing member of the neighborhood group. When Edie runs into the woman from No. 8, Martha Rigby, outside the market, she’s thrilled she will be able to report to WhatsApp with details about the sophisticated mystery woman. As the residents of Pine Road get to know Martha, she reveals that she relocated from Limerick with her husband and children because of some sort of trauma. Unable to stop herself, Edie investigates Martha’s past and discovers that her family fell victim to a crime before they moved. Edie confides this information to Robin Dwyer, another neighbor, and Robin begins to develop her own theories about what happened to send Martha running from Limerick. Meanwhile, Edie, Robin, and Martha confront complex personal issues within their own families relating to parenting and partnership, all while at the mercy of the neighborhood yentas. Despite a few too many slapstick moments and clichés of neighborhood busybodies, the story tackles many complicated issues relating to self-esteem, parenting, and interpersonal connections. The cast of characters is unnecessarily long, and there are a few too many subplots fighting for attention. Even so, there are sufficient comical twists and warmhearted connections to make the book great fun.

A lighthearted romp through an Irish community filled with characters that are as dysfunctional as they are delightful.