Big Little Lies

Celeste wakes up Christmas morning beside her husband, Perry, a successful banker. They have taken Josh and Max to Canada so the boys can enjoy a snowy Christmas. Celeste imagines when Perry wakes up, he will excitedly take pictures of the boys opening their presents, backdropped perfectly by the snow. She knows Perry will happily post the family pictures on Facebook, a hobby he adores.

Reflecting on her family life, Celeste knows there is so much to appreciate. Beneath the surface, something is deeply wrong with Celeste’s marriage: “There really was no need to leave [Perry] until the boys finished high school” (61).

At the end of the chapter, a testimonial states that while Celeste and Perry appeared to have a perfect marriage, on trivia night, someone saw them in their car, “both staring straight ahead, not looking at each other, all dressed up in their costumes, not saying a word” (61), once again casting trivia night in mystery and intrigue. 

Jane wakes up Christmas morning from a bad dream. In it, Ziggy had his foot on her throat. Disturbingly, despite her pleas, Ziggy wouldn’t remove his foot, studying her instead.

Startled, Jane gets up to find the real Ziggy sleeping beside her. As her son sleeps, she wonders what kind of person he will grow up to be. Jane’s mother somewhat-seriously believes Ziggy is the reincarnation of Jane’s dead grandfather, Poppy. Jane sees some of Poppy in Ziggy but does not think her son is a reincarnation by any means. Jane admits that she’s largely unsure who Ziggy will become. She thinks “Your child was a little stranger, constantly changing, disappearing and reintroducing himself to you. New personality traits could appear overnight” (65). This triggers a mysterious and painful memory for Jane, one she refuses to let manifest.

Ziggy wakes up and, excited that it’s Christmas, jumps out of bed, accidentally hitting Jane’s nose. 

Celeste’s family flies back from Vancouver to Sydney. On the flight, Perry is playful with his sons, claiming to have superpowers, such as flight, that he must keep a secret. Celeste admires the tenderness that Perry takes with his children.

Perry is optimistic about the coming year; he hopes that with the boys starting school, Celeste will have more personal time. He says, self-consciously, “I’m going to do everything in my power to make this a good year for us” (69). The actual details of their marital troubles remain ambiguous, but nevertheless, Perry’s words leave Celeste in a contemplative state. She considers staying with Perry.

Madeline, Ed, Chloe, and Abigail spend time together in the kitchen. Chloe wants to have a playdate with Ziggy, but Ed is hesitant, pointing out Renata and her husband Geoff’s wariness. Madeline lightly argues with Ed, saying “We don’t like Renata and Geoff that much” (72). Humorously, Ed tries to remember exactly who Geoff is. Madeline wants to let Chloe play with Ziggy to spite Renata. Adding to her familial dynamic, Abigail informs her mom she wants to go vegan. This upsets Madeline; Bonnie is vegan, and Madeline is increasingly worried she’s becoming a more central figure in Abigail’s life.

In testimonials about Abigail, some say they feel sorry Abigail must grow up in a broken home. Bonnie, on the other hand, says she and Madeline are helping Abigail deal with her teen angst as a team. Harper, meanwhile, adds more tension by claiming Madeline said, “I’m going to kill someone before the night is out” (73) during trivia night. The testimonials obscure more than they clarify. 

Celeste accompanies Perry and their children on a tour of the primary school before classes officially start. Celeste is tense from a fight she had with Perry the night before. Perry appears unfazed. Before the fight, Celeste asked for help with the home computer. When Perry was unable to fix it, he became angry and violent. Celeste knows the way Perry treats her is wrong, and that something as arbitrary as a computer acting up shouldn’t lead to abuse. After their fight, they had passionate and angry sex, which is how the fights often ended.

Celeste watches Perry play with the boys at the playground and wonders “Did she love him as much as she hated him? Did she hate him as much as she loved him?” (78). The two of them know their relationship is problematic and both agree that seeing a counselor is a good idea. Celeste is doubtful; they had tried that before. They only went once, and none of the deeper issues of their relationship came up.

The family runs into Renata, who tells Perry about the drama surrounding Ziggy. Renata is critical of both Ziggy and Jane, and Celeste feels uncomfortable, not wanting to get involved in the school politics. Perry placates Renata but, Celeste intuits, also takes Renata’s words into real consideration. Celeste reflects on Ziggy, admitting to herself that while he seemed like a sweet boy, “there was something about him that made her feel off-balance, something that filled her with mistrust” (81). While Celeste is in mid-thought, her son Josh yanks her arm, and she yelps in pain; she has a bruise there from Perry. Renata asks if Celeste is okay, concerned. Celeste imagines confessing her inner turmoil to Renata. She wants to ask Renata if her husband abuses her, and if she hits him back, but Celeste simply says she’s okay.  

On the phone, Madeline invites Celeste and her boys to a playdate with Chloe and Ziggy. Celeste informs Madeline that Renata is warning other parents and kids about hanging out with Ziggy, which upsets Madeline. When Madeline first met Celeste, their children were toddlers attending swimming lessons. Madeline jumped in and helped Celeste's son swim when she saw him struggling. The two parents have been friends ever since.

Madeline complains to Celeste about aging and about Abigail’s fondness for Bonnie and Nathan's family: “I want to grab her and say, ‘Abigail, he left you too. He walked out on both of us.’ But I have to be the grown up” (86). Then, the women agree to befriend Jane and have a playdate with Ziggy. 

Jane and Ziggy arrive at Madeline’s for the playdate. Jane imagines if she hadn’t gotten pregnant with Ziggy, she might have stayed in school, married, and ended up in a similar house to Madeline’s, but she wouldn't have Ziggy. Jane also remembers her doctor telling her she might not be able to get pregnant at all, making Ziggy’s conception even more surprising.

While the kids play, Jane tells Madeline that she saw Harper at the gas station earlier, and Harper pretended to not see her. Madeline says Harper is close friends with Renata and, annoyed, offers to text Harper on Jane’s behalf. Jane refuses the offer, not wanting to elevate the drama further. She Ziggy didn’t hurt Amabella, although deep down there is a very small part of her that considers the possibility. Jane feels “an overwhelming desire to explain her doubts to Madeline” (92) but stops herself, electing to keep her secrets to herself for now. Abigail comes into the kitchen and tells her mom she’s going to stay the night at her dad’s. Once again, Madeline is upset that Abigail spends so much time over there, but Abigail still leaves.

Ed makes a brief appearance in the kitchen. He recounts to Jane how he has been in love with Madeline since they were kids. It wasn’t until they were in their 30s and they saw each other at a party that he was able to do anything about his feelings. Jane finds the story romantic and sweet. Then, Celeste arrives. Surrounded by a loving couple and a beautiful woman, Jane feels woefully inadequate. 

Madeline and Ed get ready for bed and talk about Jane. Ed finds it weird to think of Jane as one of the parents when she is so young. Madeline wants to give Jane a makeover, and maybe Celeste too while she’s at it. Madeline remarks that Celeste and Jane are different but feel similar in a way she can’t place. Ed suggests “They’re both damaged” (101). Madeline can see why Jane is damaged, being young and raising a son on her own, but she fails to see what could possibly be wrong in Celeste’s life.

Lying in bed, Madeline thinks back to the years spent raising Abigail by herself “in a little two-bedroom flat above an Italian restaurant” (102). Reminiscing, Madeline fully realizes just how much Abigail’s fondness for Nathan, Bonnie, and Skye has hurt her; she always thought Abigail would love her more than anyone else. Jokingly, Ed offers to kill Nathan for Madeline. 

The chapter opens with a testimony, which mentions party invitations being passed out inappropriately on the first day of kindergarten.

Jane takes Ziggy to his first day of school, accompanied by Jane’s parents. While taking a picture, Jane meets Bonnie, Nathan, and Skye. Bonnie offers to have Nathan take a picture of Jane and her family, and Jane agrees. Bonnie’s style: a Chinese tattoo, loose and long clothes, “looked a bit out of place next to all of the other parents in their casual beachwear, gym gear or business clothes” (105). Before the families have a chance to talk for too long, Amabella gives Skye an invitation to her fifth birthday party. Amabella doesn't give Ziggy an invitation, but it's clear the other children have them.  

Madeline gets ready for Chloe’s first day of school while grappling with her PMS; the older she gets, the more intense her PMS symptoms have become. Madeline becomes irritated with Ed’s positivity, and stops him from socializing with Mrs. Ponder across the street from the school. Making matters worse, Madeline sees Nathan taking pictures of Jane’s family as they approach the playground. Madeline has a hard time being nice to Nathan. She recalls when Nathan walked out on her and Abigail when Abigail was only three weeks old: “I’m so sorry, Maddie, but I’m just not cut out for this” (111) Nathan had said. Madeline is critical of Nathan’s excitement for Skye starting school, as Nathan hadn’t even known when Abigail had started school when she was a child. Adding to all the mounting anger and tension, Chloe approaches her mom with one of Amabella’s pink envelopes, and Madeline learns that everyone is invited to Amabella’s party except Ziggy.

Meanwhile, Celeste continues to debate what to do about her marriage. Perry is out of town on business, and Celeste considers having an affair to push things over the edge. However, she confesses “the thought of being with any other man besides Perry filled her with a heavy, listless sensation” (114). Additionally, Celeste struggles to get the boys ready for school, and she recognizes that Perry would have had everyone out the door promptly.

Celeste runs into Renata and Madeline. Renata claims Amabella was supposed to distribute the invitations privately. Regardless, Madeline informs Renata that Chloe will not be attending Amabella’s party and declares to Celeste that she’s at war with Renata, which Celeste finds overly dramatic.  

Madeline, Ed, Jane, and Jane’s parents head to Blue Blues for coffee. Madeline continues to fume about Renata.

Privately, Jane’s mother, Di, tells Madeline how much she appreciates Madeline befriending Jane. Although Jane has done a great job raising Ziggy, she’s different now: quieter and guarded. Di adds, “I can’t put my finger on it. It’s like this deep unhappiness that she tries to hide” (123). Madeline relates Di’s concerns about Jane to her own concerns about Abigail. Talkative, Di also tells Madeline that Jane’s doctors told her she’d have problems conceiving naturally, and that Ziggy’s conception was very much a surprise. Madeline promises Di that she will watch over Jane.