Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty Published by Flatiron Books on August 10, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Thrillers / Domestic, Fiction / Women, Fiction / World Literature / Australia
Pages: 464
Format: Paperback
Source: Target
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Now a Hulu original series“If three characters were good in Big Little Lies, nine are even better in Nine Perfect Strangers.” —Lisa Scottoline, The New York Times Book Review
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies
Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest page-turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out...
Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.
Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can?
It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.
Combining all of the hallmarks that have made her writing a go-to for anyone looking for wickedly smart, page-turning fiction that will make you laugh and gasp, Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers once again shows why she is a master of her craft.
I had been wanting to read a book by Liane Moriarty for awhile because how known she is in the book world. Her books have a lot of talk behind them, so I was like umm which one should I read. I have had one of her books on my shelves for awhile, but it just didn’t feel like the right book to read. I read the back of this book while standing at Target one day. I was instantly drawn into aspects of the premise and decided to purchase it. It set on my shelf for a few months before I sat down and finally started slowly chipping away at it.
I finished this book forever ago and I decided it to my reviewed books list because of how it made me feel. I am still thinking about aspects of it over half a year later. That speaks volumes to me. The book centers on a group of individuals that have decided to go on a wellness retreat for their various reasons.
Liane Moriary knows how to write a book and it shines through here. The book, however, was a very hard book to read, as it isn’t a lot of big moments that occur. It isn’t supposed to be that though. It is supposed to be a slower burn so that it can sit with you. We discover why each of the individuals are at the retreat and with each layer we get unpeeled it feels like we are still needing to go deeper into the onion that is this book. We are missing bits and pieces up until the end of it. We discover the truths of different characters at different moments of the book. The book ends in a way that I did not see coming, which allowed me to be a bit shocked and it was the moment that I felt most engaged with the book. I couldn’t put it down near the end, as I needed to know what was going to happen to our characters.
When there are more than like 5 characters in a book that feel equally important, it can become tricky to keep track of who is who. Moriarty knows how to create distinct voices for each of her characters though, which breathes life into them that makes them feel unique. I did not struggle with the who is who because of that voice. There was no singular character that stood out from the packet in this book, which shocked me because normally I identify with someone more. I think because of them being in a wellness retreat the elements of the characters were so relatable and it was easy to create empathy for these fictional characters.
If you are looking for a slower read and one that will draw you in at different moments, you definitely need to read this book. It is enjoyable and one that seriously stuck with me months later. I recall most of the moments of this book, which is saying something as I am often someone that struggles with remembering plot points. As I sit here writing this though I recall all the plot points, all the character moments, and so much about it that I normally would not have the ability to recall. Due to this, I know that Moriarty created something substantial here.
This book caused me to want to actually go to a wellness retreat, which is a goal that I am creating for myself for 2024. Going to a wellness retreat needs to happen, even if this should have made me veer way off from ever doing that.
Liane Moriarty is a pretty accomplished author, having numerous other books that have been published. Her most famous book is probably “Big Little Lies” which was turned into a HBO show that so far has had 2 seasons.
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