Have you read Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty and want to discuss the ending? If you are looking for a spoiler discussion or plot summary for Apples Never Fall, or the ending explained, then pull up a chair, grab yourself some apple crisp and let’s discuss! This post has been updated to discuss the seven-part 2024 series of Apples Never Fall on Peacock.
Spoiler Discussion and Plot Summary for Apples Never Fall
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty. Published on September 14, 2021 by Henry Holt. I read this book in June 2022.
Table of Contents for My Spoiler Discussion and Plot Summary of Apples Never Fall
This post is long, so feel free to jump to the parts you need:
Character List for Apples Never Fall
Timeline for Apples Never Fall – the book had a past/present timeline that was a bit confusing. I break that down here!
Plot Summary for Apples Never Fall
The Ending of Apples Never Fall: What happens at the end of the book Apples Never Fall?
- New characters
- New subplots
- Major changes
- Which was better, the book or movie of Apples Never Fall?
Character list for Apples Never Fall
The Delaney Family
Joy Delaney – wife of Stan, mother of four, former tennis player and co-owner of Delaney’s Tennis. (Played by Annette Bening in the show)
Stan Delaney – Joy’s husband and co-owner of the tennis academy. (Played by Sam Neill in the series)
Troy – Joy and Stan’s son
Brooke – Joy and Stan’s daughter. A physiotherapist who gets migraines.
Amy – Joy and Stan’s youngest child (Played by Allison Brie in the series)
Logan – Joy and Stan’s son
Savannah – mysterious visitor to Stan and Joy’s house
Harry Haddad – Stan’s most famous tennis coaching client
Barb – cleaning lady who finds Joy’s phone
Claire– ex-wife of Troy
Grant – ex-husband of Brooke (in the series, Brooke is engaged to Gina, a woman).
Indira – ex-girlfriend of Logan
Christina and Ethan – police officers investigating Joy’s disappearance (in the series, they are Elena and Ethan)
Simon – Amy’s flatmate
Henry Edgeworth – a plastic surgeon who is called by Joy before she disappears (not in the series)
Caro– Joy and Stan’s neighbor
Timeline of Apples Never Fall (book)
The narrative of Apples Never Fall has a present/past format which was a little confusing at times!
Events in the present take place in Sydney during mid-February/March 2020: Joy disappears on Valentine’s Day and her family reports her missing a week or so later. By the end of the book, COVID has taken hold of the world.
Julie (in comments) also points that Savannah locked her mother in her room (in Adelaide) back in 2019, BEFORE she came to Sydney and wreaked havoc on the Delaney family. At the end of the book, Savannah is returning to Adelaide, the key to the room hanging around her neck, to check on her.
Events in the past take place during the prior September/October 2019: I was confused about the references to Father’s Day but finally figured out that in Australia, where the book takes place, Father’s Day is observed on the first Sunday in September. A-ha!
Plot Summary for Apples Never Fall
Present: A man finds a vintage ladies’ bike and four apples at the side of the road. Four siblings gather in a cafe to discuss their missing mother.
She sent them a garbled text that she was “going off the grid” and they haven’t seen her since. They all order apple crumble, as they’ve been trying for years to reproduce their grandmother’s recipe.
Savannah Shows Up at the Delaney House
Last Sept: Late one evening, Joy and Stan Delaney answer a knock on their door. It’s a young woman who is disheveled, bleeding, and barefoot. She says her name is Savannah and that she’s fled from an abusive boyfriend. They invite her in and insist she spend the night.
Present: The Delaney’s cleaning lady, Barb, asks about Joy. Stan says she’s “away.” Barb finds Joy’s phone under the bed.
Last Sept: Brooke reads about Harry Haddad, an Australian tennis star returning to the game after an injury. Her father Stan coached Harry as a child. Amy calls Brooke and mentions “the girl” living with their parents and says that she’s concerned.
Present: The siblings discuss whether to report their mother missing and the scratches on their father’s face.
Last Sept: Logan goes to his parents house and meets Savannah, who tells him about her abusive boyfriend.
Present: The police interview the family. Stan admits to having argued with Joy before she left. Logan tells the police that his father didn’t do anything. He mentions Savannah and suggests they look into her.
Last Sept: At their mother’s request, Troy and Logan are going with Savannah to get the things from her apartment. Brooke tells her mother that Harry is writing a memoir, which makes Joy nervous. She remembers how Harry’s father Elias used to wink at her. Troy is also worried about Harry’s autobiography as he once punched Harry.
Present: The police find questions about divorce in Joy’s internet search history and discover that her phone showed a long call with a plastic surgeon. The police talk to Amy, who defends her father. They tell Amy he got his car washed the day after Joy went missing. They ask her about the plastic surgeon.
Last September (Father’s Day): Both Amy and Savannah make brownies. Brooke doesn’t tell her family about her separation from her husband. Stan critiques all the kids’ tennis games. Logan says his girlfriend Indira left him. Troy says that Claire, his ex, wants to use their embryos to have a baby with her new husband. Joy isn’t feeling well and asks everyone to leave. She ends up in the hospital with a kidney infection.
Last October: Logan’s girlfriend Indira calls to ask how Joy is feeling. Indira says that Logan’s parents have a good relationship.
Logan retorts that several times during his childhood his father left for days. Logan then sees a woman on TV telling the exact same story that Savannah had told him about her abusive ex. Amy and her flatmate Simon go to Joy and Stan’s house but Savannah says they are sleeping and doesn’t want to let them in.
When Joy is feeling better, Savannah and Joy go shopping and people think they are mother and daughter. Stan has suggested that since Savannah has been around for six weeks she should look for her own flat. Savannah asks Joy if she or Stan ever cheated and Joy lies and says no.
Joy begins to become suspicious of Savannah.
Present: A neighbor recalls that she driving down the block shortly after Joy vanished and finding Stan lying a gutter. She drove him home and his four children were all there, but not Savannah or Joy.
Last October: Savannah shows up at Troy’s apartment. She tells him that when Joy was in the hospital, Stan hit on her.
Who is Savannah, Really?
Present: Simon agrees to help Amy run a background check on Savannah. Logan decides to go talk to Savannah’s abusive ex, who insists he never hit Savannah.
He and Logan compare notes and discover that Savannah has told them completely different stories about her childhood. She was not in foster care.
Her boyfriend says on her birthday he forgot to show up for her birthday dinner. She came home, they argued, she cut herself on a wineglass and just walked out. He says before she walked out she’d watched a news report on Harry Haddad.
Last October: Brooke does a reverse image search on Savannah and discovers she’s Savannah Smith, a ballet dancer from Adelaide. After looking at an old newspaper article featuring Savannah as a child,
Brooke remembers seeing Savannah at her house years before. Simon discovers that Savannah was accused of selling fraudulent tennis memorabilia.
Present: Brooke’s ex husband comes forward to say that Joy had an affair.
Past October: Savannah is out so Joy searches her room. Troy calls to say that he’d just paid off Savannah to keep her quiet about Stan harassing her.
Stan says Savannah flirted with him, which is why he told Joy she needed to leave. Stan and Joy find a photo album in Savannah’s room that includes a picture of her with Harry Haddad.
He had announced his comeback on her birthday, which was why she ran out on her boyfriend and ended up at Joy and Stan’s.
A Body is Discovered
Present: A body is discovered.
Past October: Stan calls a family meeting with Savannah, who claims that her parents split and her father took Harry while she lived with her mother, who starved her so she could do ballet. She tried to steal Brooke’s banana. Amy wouldn’t make her a sandwich.
Savannah says that her parents split because Joy told their father to take Harry to Melbourne for training. Savannah leaves the house.
Present: Troy tells the police that Savannah returned the money, and that two hippies came to collect Savannah’s stuff from their parent’s house.
The body discovered is Polly Perkins, a woman who told Joy decades ago that her husband wouldn’t let her buy a new iron and then left him to go and live in New Zealand. Actually her husband murdered her. The police also find Joy’s bloody t-shirt. The police ask Stan to repeat his story of the day Joy disappeared.
Valentine’s Day (the day Joy disappeared:) After Savannah’s revelation about Joy sending Harry to a new coach, Stan and Joy aren’t speaking. Joy wants to go out but Stan took her car.
Joy buys four apples and sees that her bike tire is flat. Stan returns with an advance copy of Harry’s memoir. In the book, Harry admits to cheating at tennis, but only because his father told him Savannah had cancer. Stan and Joy argue.
The Police Start to Suspect Stan
Present: The police find CCTV footage of Stan taking an unwieldy object to his car. They finally reach the plastic surgeon who says that he didn’t talk to Joy. It was his friend Savannah. Simon finds a clue in Joy’s text.
Valentine’s Day: Savannah calls Joy and apologizes. She was angry at Joy for splitting up her family, which led to Savannah being abused by her mother.
Savannah confesses to trying to sleep with Stan, filing a complaint about Logan at his job. She emphatically tells Joy that she is NOT A NICE PERSON.
Savannah says is going away for two weeks and wonders if Joy wants to come. Joy writes a note to Stan apologizing for sending Harry away, but saying she and the kids needed Stan more.
Savannah and Joy go off the grid and participate in a “live off the grid” charity challenge hosted by Harry.
Ending of Apples Never Fall Explained (book)
What happened at the end of Apples Never Fall?
- First off, Joy wasn’t dead. She went off with Savannah for two weeks.
- Joy did leave a note for Stan, but it fell off the fridge (the defective fridge magnet was mentioned earlier as a clue) and the dog ate it (the paper-eating dog was also mentioned earlier.)
- Joy’s garbled text to her children was caused by autocorrect (relatable!)
- The unwieldy object Stan was taking to his car was some old carpet.
- The mysterious call to the plastic surgeon was actually a call between Savannah (who had suddenly become the girlfriend of the surgeon) and Joy.
Nothing to see here!
What Happens to Each Character at the End (book)
- JOY– feels bad for almost getting Stan arrested. She and Stan start playing tennis together again.
- TROY– gives Claire permission to use their embryos. Claire and her new husband move to Australia and she is pregnant. Joy thinks Claire and Troy might get back together.
- BROOKE – gets an apple crumble from Savannah, who has finally figured out the family recipe.
- LOGAN – decides his friend Hien’s son is a tennis prodigy. Logan is going to coach him.
- SAVANNAH – flies to Adelaide to visit her mother. Yeah, “visit.” (Murder….)
Before she had come to Sydney to infiltrate the Delaney family, Savannahconfronted her mother about abusing her as a child.
After her mother took her nightly sleeping pills, Savannah dragged her to the bedroom and locked her in with some bottled water and protein bars.
It’s suggested that, when she was a child, Savannah’s mother used to lock her in that same room. Her mother might or might not have escaped from of the room or survive.
On the plane, Savannah toys with the key necklace around her neck and tells her seat mate that her mother plays tennis.
Apples Never Fall: Book vs. 2014 Peacock Series
Main changes from the book to the movie of Apples Never Fall
- Brooke is now engaged to a woman AND has an affair with Savannah. What?
- Troy is also having an affair with his boss’s wife and gets blackmailed by Savannah.
- Joy’s affair with Elios is apparently just a big nothing make-out sesh.
- NO vintage bike or Stan putting a “rug” in his car. Stan apparently is seen taking a large package on his boat, Scott Peterson-style.
- Savannah’s backstory is cut, making the ending of the series a bit confusing.
- The ending is pretty different
Discussion for Apples Never Fall: Book and book vs. movie
My main observations about:
- Apples Never Fall (book)
- Apples Never Fall (series)
- Was the adaptation of Apples Never Fall good and/or successful?
- Which was better, the book or series of Apples Never Fall?
- Will you like the Apples Never Fall series better if you haven’t read the book? Yes.
Point #1: Both the book and series of Apples Never Fall are a bit of a catfish.
We immediately think a “missing” woman = a true crime story! As I followed the “what happened to Princess Kate” story while watching Apples Never Fall, I was struck by this.
But I also think the book (and series) tease a domestic thriller when both are really family sagas about marriage, parenthood, relationships, and the grudges people hold about perceived wrongs that our family members have done to us.
Point #2 All the clever clues about where Joy went in the book are gone from the series.
In the book, there were many (misleading) clues that were very skillfully planted, from the faulty fridge magnet to the paper eating dog to the phone call to the plastic surgeon. NONE of this was in the book, making the ending even weirder to me.
Point #3 I think the Apples Never Fall series was more successful as a family drama but the ending of the series was just weird
The book did a much better job of integrating the whole Harry Haddad story, which I think is essential to make the ending work.
I watched the series with two people who hadn’t read the book. When we got to the point where Joy made her big confession (about secretly telling Harry’s father to replace Stan), the people I was watching with were hopelessly confused. We had to put the series on pause while I explained the backstory.
Having the Harry/Troy fight scene as a flashback was also super confusing, because Sam Neill played Stan but two random people played Harry and Troy and no one (even me) had any idea what was happening.
In addition, Savannah’s backstory was all crammed in at the end. In the book, I found her a creepy figure who turned out more sympathetic, and in the series, I found her a sympathetic figure who turned creepy.
Also, in the series Harry says he got a restraining order against Savannah. I’m pretty sure that was NOT in the book. If I’m wrong, please tell me in comments!
Point #4 I think giving Harry (or Savannah) an episode could have solved this problem
The series keeps the past/present timeline, but only alternating between With Savannah/Without Savannah.
The book, which has an omniscient narration, gets more into the inner thoughts of the characters. The series tries to do that by giving the main characters (Logan, Amy, Brooke, Troy, Stan and Joy) each a POV. But the Harry subplot is just hinted at in bits and pieces.
The series felt LONG to me so I hate to even suggest this, but series watchers needed to understand the Harry situation better.
Plus we could see young Savannah steal Brooke’s banana (lol). Maybe that was Savannah’s villain origin story.
Point #5 In the book, Savannah and Joy’s relationship makes more sense
In the series, their little jaunt to the cabin was confusing. Was Savannah kidnapping her? Did she want revenge on the family and if so, why didn’t she just poison their pancakes?
I think the point of the book is that she wanted Joy to be her mom, since her own mom was abusive. And (in the book) wanted to murder her real mom.
In the series, I didn’t know what she was doing? They clearly didn’t want to make her as psychopathic. I guess she got the blackmail money from Troy, but she didn’t need it because her brother had already given her $500,000. NONE of it made sense to me.
Point #6 I got bored with all the infidelity plots in the Apples Never Fall series
Let’s see: Troy was cheating with Lucia, his boss’s wife. Gina was getting sexy pics from some girl. Brooke cheated with Savannah. Savannah said that Stan was making her “uncomfortable.” Joy had romantic letters from Dennis (in the book, it was a full-blown affair revealed by Grant, Brooke’s ex-husband.)
Point #6: I found all the characters much more unlikeable in the Apples Never Fall series
It was a great cast of actors, so I am guessing this was intentional. Amy was beyond irritating. I was glad Joy disappeared and kind of wish Savannah had kept her.
What Are Your Questions About Apples Never Fall?
In the book, I was convinced about my theory of Savannah being Joy’s secret affair baby.
I thought, based on the title, that Savannah was Joy’s child, possibly fathered by Elios Haddad. There were red herrings about both Joy and Savannah being physically small, about them being mistaken for mother and daughter, and also about Joy’s history of infidelity.
What do you think is point of the book? That some people get over their childhoods and other people don’t? That marriage and family relationships are complicated?
Why does Savannah say at the very end of the book that her mother plays tennis? (Run, Joy, run!!!!!)
Did you find the ending of either the book or the series satisfying?
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I didn’t like this book. I felt it went on and on and on. The ending was confusing. Did her mother die in the room? Also, I just don’t get the title. If Stan had killed Joy, it would have made sense. Who was the apple?
Hello, Nancy! Thanks so much for joining the discussion. I am a fan of Moriarty, but feel that her books have taken an odd turn, first with Nine Perfect Strangers and now this. I guess we’re supposed to go into this assuming that Stan did it and then, surprise, Joy is just fine.
It’s unclear to me if Savannnah’s mother dies or not, but if she doesn’t get herself out of the room, it seems like she would. Do you think this is fitting revenge for Savannah’s mother mistreatment of her or just proof of the book’s title, which I interpreted as based on the old saying that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” meaning that children often end up similar to their parents. The book centers around family relationships so that’s just my take.
Why did Savannah tell her seatmate on the plane that her mother plays tennis?
Hi, Linda! I returned my book so can’t look and give an opinion. Hopefully someone will have a thought!
I think this comment suggests she will be going back to the family to finish off what she started.
Ha – we think alike.
I think it’s because she has made peace with her past and now believes she is better off returning as Joy’s companion/friend/daughter type person.
I agree to that
Savannah considers Joy to be her mother. My question is, does that mean she’s going to interfere in Joy’s life again? Yikes!
Yes, I agree. Savannah has moved on to a new family.
I think this is exactly right, IMO! Joy is now Savannah’s “mother”. I don’t think her biological mother actually played tennis at all, from what I remember, which may have been a detail about Savannah’s mother mentioned early in the book. this is a tricky (good) ending, and makes the book. I got a pleasant chill up my spine on this last sentence. Very good! Bravo!
I also wondered why Savannah said that her mother played tennis. I question whether this very-last-sentence-of-the-book is actually true, and if Moriarty meant for that to be a full/stop jaw dropper — something for the reader to puzzle over and figure out. Or was it just another instance of Savannah borrowing someone else’s story?
It seems that Moriarty’s subject matter has gotten a little darker and heavier since Big Little Lies (1&2, followed by Nine Perfect Strangers, and now Apples).
I agree with Maureen and Clara that Savannah has moved on to her new family and considers Joy her mom.
I am not a fan of this weird trend in books recently for there to be a strange little twist at the end. In The Sanatorium, it was a set-up for a sequel. In The Weekend Away, I am not sure what purpose it served except to shock. I did a post on Thrillers With Last Minute Plot Twists here and I’m not really a fan. I read mysteries and thrillers so chaos can be organized and order restored!
And yes, I agree that Moriarty’s books have shifted from lighter domestic thrillers to more offbeat stuff (In Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples.)
I agree. She is borrowing another identity.
Just before she told her seat mate that, she had been remembering some nice things Joy had done for her. I think she was wishing she’d had such a mother as Joy. She is a natural liar, and perhaps she is writing a new narrative for her life.
YES I am totally on board with this theory. She has left her biological mother to die and now regards Joy as her mother. Lucky Joy!
I read this as her representing Joy as her mother, as she’s the only maternal figure in her life.
The last chapter on Savannah gave us more perspective as to why she had the personality flaws she did- the psychological and physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother. I agree Savannah saw Joy as her ideal mom, and her abused psyche is creating a new narrative for her life. Question is, will she still be the “devoted daughter” and return to let her mom out of the room? Would evil mom even still be alive? How long was Savannah gone? She left her mom with 2 cases of nutrition bars and a palette of water. She was with the Irish painter for a few weeks, with the Delaney’s for a few weeks, with the plastic surgeon for a bit, then at the off grid charity thing with Joy for 3 weeks. Overall I loved the family dynamics, the messages of redemption and love even in the face of flaw and imperfections and regrets. I do think Moriarty went on a bit too much at the end and not sure the whole Covid thing was necessary or added anything to the story. I don’t think this book was any darker or more twisted than Big Little Lies. Rape? Physical abuse? Accidental revenge killing? Fun read.
Hi Amy! So glad you joined the discussion as you make a lot of excellent points (and I LOVE a timeline, which I did not make for Savannah – I might add yours into mine and credit you 🙂 ) I agree that I’m not sure Covid added anything. I have read three recent books in which I think Covid enhanced the storyline: 52 Days by Catherine Ryan, False Witness by Karin Slaughter, and Dark Hours by Michael Connelly. But I’m reading to escape the pandemic and I don’t really want to read about it. Too soon!
Finally, one of the things I like about Moriarty is that she’s willing to experiment. Nine Perfect Strangers got a little too weird for me. I felt a bit cheated by the marketing of Apples Never Fall. The marketing blurb made this sound like a domestic thriller, when really it was more of a family drama.
She was talking about Joy.
Hi there, from what I understood…Savannah, at that moment chose to still live a lie of being someone else. And in this fantasy, Joy is her mother.
*waves back* Thanks! I missed that tennis comment on the plane and am happy that everyone agrees that she has done away with her mother and considers Joy is her new one. Run, Joy, run!
In the series, it isn’t at all like that.I wonder if others saw the series.
I’m hoping more people who watched it will come and share their thoughts!