Is All Her Fault based on a true story?

When their young son Milo goes missing after being believed he was at a playdate, Marissa (Sarah Snook) and Peter (Jake Lacy) are thrown into the kind of nightmare that no parent wants to consider.

All Her Fault is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by author Andrea Mara, with the episodes chronicling the aftermath of Milo's disappearance and some of the hidden secrets about the family that start coming to light.

Now starring the likes of Snook, Lacy, Dakota Fanning, Jay Ellis and Michael Peña, the story is brought to life with a whole litany of stars which is quite a move away from the book's original Dublin setting.

But is All Her Fault based on a true story? Read on to find out.

Is All Her Fault based on a true story?

All Her Fault is somewhat based on a true story, as the original novel was inspired by something that had happened to author Andrea Mara.

As Mara explains: "The book was inspired by a real-life event, whereby I went to collect my daughter from a playdate and found myself standing outside an unoccupied house.

"The panic only lasted for a few seconds until a neighbour told me that the family had moved house a few weeks earlier and I was just working off an old address list. So, it all ended very, very quickly – much more quickly than it does Marissa in the book."

While the series is based on the novel, the book is slightly different. The book's synopsis reads: "Marissa Irvine arrives at 14 Tudor Grove, expecting to pick up her young son Milo from his first playdate with a boy at his new school.

"But the woman who answers the door isn’t a mother she recognises. She isn’t the nanny. She doesn’t have Milo. And so begins every parent’s worst nightmare. Four Guilty Women."

It continues: "As news of the disappearance filters through the quiet Dublin suburb and an unexpected suspect is named, whispers start to spread about the women most closely connected to the shocking event. Because only one of them may have taken Milo, but they could all be blamed."

As for the series itself, it obviously continues to take Mara's initial chilling premise and focuses on the why instead of the who. Created and written by Megan Gallagher, executive producer Joanna Strevens said in a press pack for the series: "Megan Gallagher has done a phenomenal job adapting the material, pulling the audience directly into the tension of the story.

"It appealed to us as a twisty, hugely entertaining thriller that also explores very present themes; one of which being women’s trial by media, and, effectively, trial by the school gates, where the attention and blame so often falls on the mother."

She continued: "Andrea’s book was a gift to the writers’ room with its twists and compelling characters. In expanding it into an eight-part drama, we explored guilt and hidden family dynamics. Crucially, it’s not a ‘whodunit’, as we know early on who is behind Milo’s disappearance. The show is a ‘whydunit,’ digging into the circumstances that allowed it to happen, and the family dynamics and secrets hidden beneath the surface.

"While intense and thrilling, the series also finds moments of hope and humanity, it’s more than just a thrill ride; it’s a story with real heart."

All Her Fault lands on Sky and NOW as a boxset in the UK on Friday 7th November.

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