“He could find hatred in his heart for her, too, if he went looking for it. The secret of a happy marriage was not to go looking for it.”

Nine people come to a health retreat for different reasons - health, relationships, vacation. The owner, Masha, has plans for this group. People come and go, even returning to feel her great results again and again, but no one ever practices what they’ve learned when they get back home. This time she wants it to be different and she plans to make it happen no matter what it takes. What these nine people don’t know, amid their own tumultuous lives, is that they might be in for more than they paid for.

Nine Perfect Strangers is a well crafted story where nothing much happens but you love every minute.

To all my writing friends out there… if you could only read one book this year, I would make it this one. The amount of craft in this book is astounding. What some people view as a story where nothing happens is actually a story with in depth character development. There is so much to be learned. I already want to dive back in with a highlight and pen, but alas, I have a library copy and must stay my hand.

Moriarty created a twelve character cast and litters each one’s POV throughout. Most times, I cringe at this. I don’t like when authors pull in another POV in the middle of the story just to move the plot forward, but in Moriarty’s case, it really works. She flows each POV in and out like water and each time the story isn’t interrupted. I never questioned who was talking or had to mindfully tell myself I was in someone else’s head.

But what I loved most of all was her detail in painting a picture of what each cast member looked like to the current POV. How Frances sees herself is not how the 40-year-old lawyer sees her and so on…. It was a beautiful look into the minds of others. These details show Moriarty’s skill, not the fact that her plot isn’t the usual suspenseful mystery we’re used to. I appreciate that she’s branched out and tried something new, like creating a full cast of characters that read like real people.

“Everywhere Frances looked there were children: children sitting gravely behind news desks, controlling traffic, running writers' festivals, taking her blood pressure, managing her taxes, and fitting her bras.”

Another great lesson, one that I’m struggling with in my own writing, is the weaving in of back story. I cringe when I’m reading and know it’s coming, fearing the sudden change in story speed. Sometimes a character’s back story is interesting enough to keep the plot going, but most of the time it’s a dead stop in the progression. If I couldn’t gush enough, Moriarty pulls out the backstory of a lifetime. Se treats each one, twelve in all, like the story itself and feeds tiny tidbits throughout, giving just enough to make the reader beg for more. I was so worried when there was supposed to be five days of silence in the plot. God, how was Moriarty going to pull off a story without dialogue, but she took the opportunity to float in between the past and the present like a god of writing. The only reason I put the book down was because my eyes were hurting.

Even with my perfect rating - yes, no surprise, I did give Nine Perfect Strangers five stars - there are a few little issues. The ending was too wrapped up for my taste. I struggled with knowing how each character lived out the next ten to twenty years. Some hanging questions were answered, and Masha’s reveal was nice, but the rest could have been left out.

“Women and their bodies! The most abusive and toxic of relationships. Masha had seen women pinch at the flesh of their stomachs with such brutal self-loathing they left bruises. Meanwhile their husbands fondly patted their own much larger stomachs with rueful pride.”

And because I must, I have to point out one writing act I keep talking about. Even with a full cast of POVs, I always feel that there’s one voice stronger and more prevalent then the others. It happened in Six of Crows and it’s happened here. Frances took center stage for the majority of the book, not just in time, but also in development. She had the most rounded story, the strongest background, and fullest creation. No matter how good a writer is, I think that no one can help placing one character on a pedestal.

So all in all… it feels like I’ve been rambling…. but I loved this book. I never wanted to put it down and I have book hangover, fearing my next book won’t be able to hold a candle to the great talent I’ve just witnessed. So if you’re looking for a book to get you out of the reading slump this month, I highly recommend grabbing a copy and sitting down for an adventure.

Happy Reading

Love Kait

Reading Challenge: 5/100 (It’s growing)