Nine perfect strangers

IF YOU DON'T immediately recognize Liane Moriarty's name, you may remember her novel-turned-HBO-series "Big Little Lies," about the intersecting lives of three women whose children attend the same kindergarten. Juggling that many main characters is the literary equivalent of spinning plates, and Moriarty succeeded in keeping them all airborne. If three characters were good in "Big Little Lies," nine are even better in "Nine Perfect Strangers," about a group of Australians who converge on a "boutique health and wellness resort" called Tranquillum House, all looking to change their lives in some way. The director of Tranquillum House is the domineering and coolly charismatic Masha Dmitrichenko, a 6-foot-tall cross between a guru and a general. Masha promises her guests that their lives will change in 10 days if they follow her program for their "wellness journey," which includes yoga, meditation, diet, a "screenfree environment" and "noble silence." The spa-goers, who obey Masha grudgingly in the beginning, soon start feeling happier and healthier. The perfect foil for the formidable Masha, and the standout spa-goer, is Frances Welty. Frances is a middle-aged romance novelist who's feeling terrible about herself after her publisher rejected her new manuscript, a reviewer hated her latest book and an online con man broke her heart in a catfishing scam. Frances may be down on her luck, and herself, but her warm sense of humor makes her completely relatable. At the pool, trying to impress another spa-goer, "she wanted to convey strength in all her future interactions with this man, and her soft white body ... didn't convey much except 52 years of good living and a weakness for chocolate Lindt balls." Frances describes the mandatory smoothies as "green sludge" and even tries to smuggle chocolate into Tranquillum House, acknowledging: "This was rock-bottom. She'd just licked a Kit Kat wrapper." The other characters are also fully realized, with compelling lives, relationships and motivations. They include a sports marketing consultant, a husband and wife who won the lottery and are trying to salvage their marriage, a health-spa junkie ("I indulge and atone, indulge and atone"), a once-famous athlete and a recently divorced mother of four. An espedally poignant story line follows another married couple, Heather and Napoleon, and their 20-year-old daughter, Zoe, who are all grieving the suicide of Zoe's twin brother, Zach. A subplot like that can veer into melodrama, but Moriarty handles it deftly. For example, when Zoe is asked about her upcoming birthday, she answers simply: "I don't celebrate on that day anymore. I kind of changed my birthday." To divulge what happens next would spoil a major plot twist, though readers are given a tiny hint early on when Masha asks Frances how she likes the book she is reading. "Frances thought about this. The book was meant to be another murder mystery, but the author had introduced far too many characters too early, and so far everyone was still alive and kicking. The pace had slowed. Come on now. Hurry up and kill someone." One of the most satisfying aspects of "Nine Perfect Strangers" is that it is thought-provoking but never pedantic. The novel raises fascinating questions about our relentless quest for self-improvement, why we seek out others to transform us and whether external change causes internal change, or vice versa. Does social media make followers of us all? When does a group become a cult, and why? Moriarty doesn't supply the answers, but trusts her readers to come up with their own, which is just as it should be. LISA SCOTTOLINE'S new novel, "Someone Knows," will be published in April. One character smuggles chocolate into the spa. 'This was rock bottom. She'd just licked a Kit Kat wrapper.'

Despite a frustrating check-in experience leading to doubts over whether to stay at Tranquillum House or return home, romance writer Frances Welty is intrigued enough by the remote Australian health resort's owner, staff, and eight fellow guests to stay. Frances ruminates upon the reason(s) the guests, owner, and staff have for attending (and holding) the ten-day retreat. The person who intrigues her the most is the strange and charismatic owner of the resort, but Frances isn't sure whether to put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer, or run while she still can? The book is long, but Moriarty (Big Little Lies) effectively places the listener in Frances's mind. Caroline Lee's nicely paced, clear, distinct speech and British accent suits this Australia-set novel. Lee does an admirable job of differentiating among all characters' voices-particularly male voices and the owner's Russian accent. Verdict Loaded with suspenseful psychological thrills, comedy, and dark humor, this genre-crossing work will appeal to a wide range of listeners as it is a little bit Maeve Binchy, Dean Koontz, and Lisa Scottoline. ["The story drags a bit in the middle, but the last third is on fire, with intense issues and a roller-coaster plot that will leave readers breathless": LJ 11/15/18 review of the Flatiron: Macmillan hc.]-Laurie Selwyn, formerly with Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.