i’ve only read two other books by liane moriarty (big little lies and the husband’s secret), and i loved them both. nine perfect strangers has her signature humor, an amazing and diverse cast of characters and a storyline that is hilarious, depressing and moving all at the same time.this is the story of a group of people at a health resort, who’ve all chosen to visit for different reasons. the story isn’t just about the nine strangers — it’s also about the three people who run the resort, and how they got to where they are. despite the large cast of characters, each of them got enough time in the story, and no one was neglected or forgotten, which isn’t easy to do at all.the story starts off bright and happy, but then (very gradually) becomes sinister and creepy. there were so many times where i was stressed and worried for the characters. the best part is how hilarious it sounds when you try to explain it — how exactly can a hippie health resort have people worrying for their actual lives? but it can happen, and the contrast between the hilarious story telling and the actual content is one of my favorite things about this book.there are also very important conversations had about mental health, wealth, body shaming and food, and it is especially refreshing to see these problems discussed with humor and a few jokes that in no way detract from the actual issues.as with her other books, it’s the characters that elevate the story. they’re all so different from each other, have distinct voices and each of their stories are interesting and important in different ways. i especially love the fact that there are so many different age groups. the interactions they have with each other are also amazing — from awkward to weird to downright crazy. masha was my favorite, just because she was so weird and awesome and i’ve never seen a character quite like her before.this book has has made moriarty one of my favorite authors, and i cannot recommend it enough.
