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.
Nine strangers hoping to change their lives sign up for a wellness retreat that is far from what they expected.
Liane Moriarty (BIG LITTLE LIES) once again hits all the right notes with NINE PERFECT STRANGERS. Satirical, poignant, humorous and suspenseful, the narrative probes into our obsession with wellness, as well as self-transformation as a means to mend what’s been broken in our lives. With her keen ability to write compelling characters, Moriarty draws us in to the lives of these nine people as we learn what’s brought them to Tranquillium House—a pricey wellness resort in Australia run by the spirited and seemingly unstable Masha.
Some are hoping to lose weight, some are battling grief, some are hoping to fix a fraying relationship, but all are hoping to click reset on their lives in one way or another. Masha’s aberrant methods bring them closer together than expected, the 10-day retreat starting with the confiscation of contraband (alcohol, junk food), a blood test, and a silence period where guests cannot even make eye contact with each other.
Things go off the rails quickly as guests realize they’re in Masha’s clutches… Masha, the 6-feet supermodel-looking Tranquilium House owner with significant issues of her own.
I listened to the book on Audible, which I highly recommend, as the narration is fantastic. The real magic lies in Moriarty’s characters, and how deftly she’s able to explore the minutiae of their lives and the nuances of their thinking. While some characters may seem supercilious or shallow, they’re often relatable with problems parsed within the framework of today’s reality (i.e. do things really happen if it’s not captured on Instagram?).
It’s a fun book to read (or listen to), with enough humor and suspense to make it a satisfying page turner.
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