'Big Little Lies' Season 3 Hinted by Sequel Book; Learn More

The third season of Big Little Lies still doesn’t have a release date confirmed by HBO, but author Liane Moriarty has already taken the first step. The book Big Little Truths, released on August 25, is a direct continuation of the story and serves as the foundation for a possible new season of the series.

The plot takes place ten years after the events of the first book and the show’s second season, with the protagonists dealing with teenage children and ghosts from the past that refuse to stay buried.

The story begins with a human finger sent through the mail to the school principal. From there, Moriarty weaves together the lives of Madeline, Jane, Celeste, Renata, and Bonnie amid revealed secrets, shaken relationships, and a new danger looming over the community.

Warning: Below are spoilers for the book Big Little Truths, and consequently, the possible third season of Big Little Lies.

Madeline

Madeline is about to turn 50 and tries to balance family life with the guilt of not having taken care of her sick mother. Her daughter Chloe grows close to Melody, the new history teacher, while Abigail, her older daughter, calls off her wedding and Ed discovers he has cancer. Madeline also faces her own fears after finding a lump in her breast. In the end, Ed recovers, Chloe distances herself from Melody after a sexual encounter with Melody’s husband, and Madeline accepts that life isn’t perfect.

Jane

Jane is married to Tom, owner of the Blue Blues café, but the marriage is strained because she doesn’t want to have biological children. She has to explain to Ziggy that Perry raped her, which shakes her relationship with her son. During the time spent with Melody, Jane almost kisses the teacher on a night out and begins to question her sexuality. Ziggy is the one who exposes Melody during a school presentation, and Jane finally speaks openly with Tom about the trauma surrounding Ziggy’s birth.

Celeste

Celeste is raising her twin sons, Max and Josh, on her own, with the constant presence of Mary-Louise, who begins to show signs of dementia – later attributed to medication side effects. She starts a relationship with Marco, a newcomer to town, who is actually the father of one of Melody’s victims. Celeste learns that Marco was targeted by false rumors and decides to stay with him.

Renata

Renata is grieving her mother’s death and reveals to her friends that she was abused by her uncle when she was 12 and that no one believed her. That past explains her overprotectiveness toward her daughter Amabella during childhood. She begins dating Brody, a fitness instructor, and is the most suspicious of Melody. According to Ziggy, Amabella likes girls, but it’s unclear whether she has told her mother yet.

Bonnie

Bonnie still feels the weight of Perry’s death even after ten years. Her relationship with her daughter Skye begins to fray when Skye discovers her mother’s role in the death of Ziggy’s father. Bonnie opens up to her friends during a retreat with Melody, formally apologizes to Mary-Louise, and checks herself into a rehab clinic to address a drinking problem.

Melody

The book’s main villain is Melody, the new history teacher. She uses her influence to lure gifted students into a supposed internship that is actually a trap for abuse carried out by her husband, Seth Montclair. Clara Long, Melody’s former student, sends a dead man’s finger to the school to draw attention to the crimes. Ziggy exposes the teacher during a presentation at school, and the mothers discover that Melody got close to them in order to gain access to their daughters. In the end, Melody is arrested, and the community comes together to support the victims.