Nine Perfect Strangers in Book Club for Introverts

Mar 19, 2019 Aimee Dars rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, australia

Moriarity, Liane - Nine Perfect Strangers

Gathering at the exclusive Tranquillum House, an exclusive health resort, for a ten day wellness retreat, nine guests arrive at the rural property with different goals in mind. Ben and Jessica hope the retreat will heal their fractured marriage while the Marconis and their daughter seek solace from grief. Carmel, recently divorced, wants to lose weight, and Tony, a former athlete, worries about his health. Lars, who often attends such retreats, uses them to escape the intimacy of his relationshi Moriarity, Liane - Nine Perfect Strangers

Gathering at the exclusive Tranquillum House, an exclusive health resort, for a ten day wellness retreat, nine guests arrive at the rural property with different goals in mind. Ben and Jessica hope the retreat will heal their fractured marriage while the Marconis and their daughter seek solace from grief. Carmel, recently divorced, wants to lose weight, and Tony, a former athlete, worries about his health. Lars, who often attends such retreats, uses them to escape the intimacy of his relationship. And Frances, a former bestselling romance novelist, not only was scammed by a man on the Internet who pretended to fall in love with her, her last manuscript was rejected.

All of the clients turn over their cell phones and other contraband, such as wine and junk food, with varying degrees of resistance, and are surprised that the retreat began with five days of “noble silence.” Masha Dmitrichenko, owner of Tranquilium House, a convert to healthy living after having a heart attack ten years previously, was experimenting with a new protocol during this session and was sure her new techniques would lead to lasting change in her guests. Though the silence was difficult at first, they did ease into it as they enjoyed daily smoothies, massages, facials, and hikes. Without speech, the guests couldn’t help but make assumptions about each other--yet the nobel silence was soon to come to an end. They wondered what would happen when they could finally interact and what Masha had in store for them next, hoping that she could solve their existential problems.

Although all the guests, plus some of the Tranquilium House staff, have point of view chapters, Frances’s viewpoint is dominant. One thing I love about Frances is that she is fascinated by other people. So many characters in books are antisocial or loathe others, it’s refreshing to see someone who relishes interactions with new people--even if it might only be for material for one of her manuscripts. Given that Frances is reeling from her first rejection, Nine Perfect Strangers includes (unflattering) insights into the publishing industry, such as discrimination and sexual harassment. It’s hard not to wonder if Moriarty was writing from personal experience.

At times, the book is very funny. Frances’ observations are witty and some of the situations are hilarious, but the book is also heartbreaking, particularly when recounting some of the characters’ backstories. While all the characters were flawed, they were also for the most part likable, though Masha’s past behavior was slightly inexplicable to me.

What I didn’t like so much about the book was that as I was reading it, I had no idea where it was going. I wasn’t even sure into what genre the book might fall. I’ve decided that this sense of being unsettled reflected that of the guests at Tranquilium House.

While it’s possible that Moriarity might be making general statements about the health and wellness industry in Nine Perfect Strangers, no doubt Tranquilium House represents a unique setting against which other facilities can’t be judged. The book questions not just how the health and wellness industry but how social media shapes expectations of beauty and behavior. It would be fair to say that whether or not Masha’s treatment worked, the experience did bring all the guests closer to being themselves, and while that might not always be the goal of these retreats, perhaps it should be.

Reading Nine Perfect Strangers was entertaining and satisfying, and it contained enough deeper questions that I was intellectually engaged, but it has a lighter tone than Moriarity’s other novels and it definitely wasn’t her best.

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Dec 12, 2018 Lisa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: december-2018

I finished Nine Perfect Strangers last night and I loved it. A lot more than I thought I would. I haven’t read much by Liane Moriarty so I wonder if that helped as I had no expectations.
Nine strangers head to a wellness retreat at Tranquillum House to transform, relax, and work on themselves. Once there things start unveiling in an unusual way and this book starts getting crazy.
It does start slow, a lot of characters to learn, all of their backstories revealed along the way, as well as the resor ...more

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Dec 25, 2018 Ellen rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-i-own

Nine Perfect Strangers, Liane Moriarty’s latest, seems to be generating a bit of controversy, with some readers explicitly stating they don’t know what happened here, but this is, by far, their least favorite book by her. I’ve enjoyed her last two—they’re about as fluffy as I’ll go but they do address important issues as she spins her oh-so-consumable tales—so my interest was definitely piqued. Moriarty is the keen master of observing the reality of white, upper middle class life, and this time, ...more

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Dec 27, 2018 Deborah rated it it was amazing

I loved this book partially because it was a psychological thriller set in a wellness resort. Since both of these are professional aspects of my own life, I was drawn to the initial premise of the book. This retreat brought varied types of people together who wanted to transform their lives. They each came for their own reasons and it was interesting to watch how relationships began to develop, for better or worse. At one point, everyone became aware that things weren’t as they seemed. The chara ...more

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Dec 11, 2018 Myra rated it really liked it

Fun read with likeable characters. A little outlandish towards the end, though.

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Nov 14, 2020 Melissa rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-of-the-month, beat-the-backlist-2020, audiobooks

I own this BOTM copy, but decided to borrow the audiobook from my library so I can listen to it at work and read when I am home. This is my first Moriarty book. Honestly, what the hell kinda mess did I just read/listen to? The story had no real plot. Nothing really happened. I think it was supposed to be a thriller book (nine guests check into a health resort, but all goes awry) but it was far from it. I couldn't wait for this book to be done so I could move on. ...more

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Dec 19, 2018 Kara rated it did not like it

1/5

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Nov 19, 2018 Dara Tinius rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was surprised to see some negative ratings for this book because to me it is so enjoyable and right in Liane Moriarty's wheelhouse. This is a great vacation page turner with her trademark whip smart satire turned on the health and wellness culture. ...more

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