Truly Madly Guilty

Truly Madly Guilty is Liane Moriarty’s seventh adult novel, published in 2016. The work uses suspense elements and a nonlinear timeline to tell a story of a backyard barbecue and its deep emotional and psychological repercussions for the attendees. The book explores themes of friendship, marriage, and parenthood through the relationships of three couples, Erika and Oliver, Clementine and Sam, and Tiffany and Vid.

The edition referenced is the first US e-book edition from Flatiron Books.

Plot Summary

The novel begins weeks after the barbecue. The first scene introduces the main characters, childhood friends Clementine and Erika. Instead of practicing for an important audition, Clementine, a cellist, leads talks at community centers to assuage her guilt over the events of the barbecue. Erika plans to confront Clementine at the community talk but has a panic attack in the middle and leaves. Erika has forgotten parts of the barbecue due to mixing prescription medication with alcohol and wanted to ask Clementine for answers. Specifically, Erika wants to know whether Clementine will be her egg donor for IVF.

Erika’s husband, Oliver, is invested in having a baby, and he thinks Clementine is the best candidate to help them conceive.