Nine Perfect Strangers

Liane Moriarty

Nov 2018 · Sold by Flatiron Books

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

Those first introduced to Liane Moriarty with her novel Big Little Lies and its subsequent Netflix series may not recognize the author from her newest outing, Nine Perfect Strangers. Moriarty provides her trademark page-turning thrills and some big reveals, but her most recent novel has a lighter tone and subject matter. In the tradition of the “closed room” plotline, nine people hope to achieve physical and mental transformation at a highly-regarded but unconventional new spa, Tranquillum House. Its mysterious director promises amazing results in ten days, but only if there is strict adherence to her unorthodox methods. The reader is introduced to each of the guests gradually, each chapter narrated in first person by a different voice. Their various reasons for attending the spa and past histories illuminate how they will react to each other and the spa’s increasingly strange protocols. The characters are interesting and well-written archetypes, but the novel stretches plausibility as they continually accede to increasingly questionable demands. Moriarty wraps things up very tidily at the end, providing a rather simplistic view of exposure therapy and resolution of past trauma. As would be expected from such a talented writer, however, Nine Perfect Strangers remains a quick and absorbing read-especially perfect for those looking for some escapist thrills with lower impact.

Very well written and I loved getting inside everyone's heads. I found out about this book when I saw a piece of the Hulu series trailer. I immediately had to get the book. After I read the book, I watched the whole series trailer and did not recognize any of the characters or plotlines. I am so glad I read the book, and am not interested in the series at all anymore! Might even read again some day, such a rollercoaster.

I love this author, but this book left me feeling like there could have been more. Also, some of it was hard to believe. I don't think I would have drunk a mandatory smoothie or gotten up in the middle of the night. I think I would have run away. I did like how in the end they all did change so maybe Masha was right!

About the author

Liane Moriarty is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Big Little Lies, The Husband's Secret, and Truly Madly Guilty, the New York Times bestsellers What Alice Forgot and The Last Anniversary, and The Hypnotist's Love Story and Three Wishes. She lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and two children.