Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty Summary

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty follows the Kettle triplets—Cat, Lyn, and Gemma—as they navigate their turbulent thirty-fourth year. The novel opens with a dramatic birthday dinner where Cat throws a fork at pregnant Gemma, then works backward to reveal what led to this explosive moment. The story explores sibling rivalry, marriage struggles, infertility, adultery, and the complex bonds between sisters who are fiercely close yet constantly combative.

Three Wishes is ideal for readers who enjoy character-driven family dramas with quirky humor and emotional depth. Fans of Liane Moriarty's later works will appreciate seeing her debut novel, though it's less polished than her subsequent books. This book particularly resonates with readers interested in sibling dynamics, women's fiction exploring relationship complexities, and stories about navigating life transitions in your thirties.

Three Wishes is worth reading for Liane Moriarty completists and fans of sisterhood stories, though most reviewers agree it's her weakest novel. The book showcases Moriarty's signature wit and insight into human behavior but lacks the tight plotting and suspense of her later works. Readers appreciate the unique narrative structure featuring stranger perspectives and the authentic portrayal of complicated sisterhood, despite finding the ending anticlimactic.

Liane Moriarty distinguishes the Kettle triplets through distinct personalities and life choices. Cat is intense, competitive, and consumed by her husband's betrayal; Lyn is the perfectionist overachiever who meticulously plans everything but suffers panic attacks; and Gemma is the fraternal triplet who drifts through jobs and relationships with no clear direction. Moriarty cleverly uses stranger observations at each chapter's beginning to show how the beautiful triplets appear to outsiders versus their internal struggles.

The fork-throwing incident occurs during the triplets' thirty-fourth birthday dinner at a Sydney seafood restaurant. Cat accuses her sisters of ruining her life and throws a fondue fork that lodges in pregnant Gemma's abdomen, causing chaos and hospitalizations. This dramatic opening anchors the narrative, which then rewinds to explain the events—including Cat's husband's affair, Gemma's relationship complications, and mounting family tensions—that led to this explosive confrontation.

Three Wishes explores:

• Multiple-birth identity and how triplets navigate individuality within their intense bond
• Marriage and infidelity through Cat's crumbling relationship and Lyn's affair backstory
• Family dynamics, sibling rivalry, and the balance between supporting versus manipulating each other

Additional themes include motherhood and infertility, learning when to hold on versus let go, and finding direction during life's transitional thirties.

Three Wishes is Liane Moriarty's debut novel from 2003, and readers consistently rank it below her later works like Big Little Lies and The Husband's Secret. The book lacks the suspenseful plotting and serious themes (murders, drownings) of her subsequent novels. However, it showcases her signature conversational writing style, dark undertones, and insight into relationships. Moriarty's character development and thematic depth matured significantly after this first effort.

Three Wishes employs a distinctive:

• Reverse chronology structure, opening with the dramatic fork-throwing incident then working backward to explain what led there.
• Each chapter begins with stranger perspectives—memories and observations from people who encountered the triplets over the years.

This dual narrative approach provides both insider family dynamics and outsider impressions, creating a multidimensional portrait of how the beautiful triplets navigate the world versus their private struggles.

Critics note the:

• Characters are difficult to like despite their beauty—Lyn had an affair with a married man, Cat drives drunk and throws tantrums, and Gemma lacks direction.
• The ending feels anticlimactic, with everything returning to normal after the fork incident without meaningful change.
• Reviewers also criticize the shallow, self-absorbed sisters who constantly bully and manipulate each other, making them less relatable.

Some found outdated language choices inappropriate by today's standards.

Gemma is the fraternal triplet who had "a whole egg to herself" while identical twins Cat and Lyn each had half, a distinction she proudly emphasizes. Unlike her accomplished sisters, Gemma is a "professional drifter" who cycles through relationships every six months and never maintains stable employment. Her indecisiveness about marriage and children contrasts with her sisters' conventional paths, and her relationship with Charlie forces her to choose between personal happiness and pleasing her demanding sisters.

Infertility intensifies Cat's emotional crisis throughout Three Wishes, compounding her devastation over her husband Dan's affair. Cat's inability to conceive creates jealousy toward sister Lyn, who has a daughter, straining their relationship. When Gemma becomes pregnant, it adds another layer of complexity to the sisters' dynamics and contributes to the explosive birthday confrontation. This theme reflects Moriarty's exploration of how unfulfilled expectations and comparing life trajectories damage familial bonds.

Three Wishes unfolds largely over the holiday season, though the Christmas setting isn't overtly emphasized. This timing adds pressure to the triplets' already strained relationships, as family gatherings and year-end reflections intensify their thirty-fourth-year crises. The seasonal backdrop amplifies themes of family expectations, taking stock of life achievements, and the contrast between holiday cheer and internal turmoil, making it appealing for readers seeking Christmas-adjacent books without heavy holiday themes.