

Madeline is a very outspoken mother who’s just turned 40. The three main protagonists are Madeline, Jane, and Celeste, all mothers that have children attending kindergarten at Pirriwee Public. The book then cuts away to several months before the trivia night where the readers are introduced to the cast of characters. The parents are discussing how the school was divided over something that was being called “The Mummy Wars.” The last statement is from a police detective, talking about how they are investigating a murder.

The chapter cuts away to a group of interviewees giving statements to a police detective. The school has just held the annual costume party/trivia night, and several of the fathers of the students are shouting and shoving one another. Patty Ponder observing a riot happening across the street at Pirriwee Public. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty begins with Mrs.
