NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty

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Liane Moriarity features the topical issue of micro-dosing in her latest book Nine Perfect Strangers.  I’ve been hearing about micro-dosing psychedelic drugs for several years and have read a few articles about its benefits. In early 2017, the writer Ayelet Waldman (wife of Michael Charon) wrote a book chronicling her personal journey with micro-dosing. Then a year later, Michael Pollan authored a N.Y. Times Bestseller (13 weeks and counting) How to Change Your Mind, which brought the discussion more mainstream. 

Nine strangers come together at a health resort in search of a transformational experience.  Nine flawed individuals, each with their own emotional baggage and unresolved issues, are desperate to turn their lives around. At first, this setup led me to think that Nine Perfect Strangers would unfold as a murder mystery, but once I read a few more pages, I was quickly proven wrong. 

I began the book concerned that I would have trouble distinguishing one stranger from another and that I wouldn’t get to know any of the nine that well.  It is a testament to Moriarity’s skill as a seasoned novelist that each one is developed sufficiently for the reader to not feel lost and to experience a connection to each of them.

For me, the standout and most fascinating character was Masha, the head of the wellness retreat and the originator of the unconventional protocol for the guests.  I found her to be a multi-dimensional character with heavy emotional baggage and delusions of grandeur.  Although she acted as a therapist for the guests, one wonders how much she would have benefitted from some psychotherapy herself.  

Based on a cursory reading of reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, it seems this book was very polarizing in terms of readers’ reactions. As such, it was kind of amusing that one of the main characters, Frances Welty, a successful writer facing her first rejection, is tormented by a scathing review.  Frances has made it a point of never reading reviews but her publisher alerts her to it when he rejects her latest manuscript, claiming that it had no bearing on their evaluation of her current manuscript.  I couldn’t help but wonder if Ms. Moriarity avoids reading reviews of her own books.

While I enjoyed the story and found myself laughing out loud a few times, I felt that it got a bit far-fetched and over the top. But even so, I kept reading because I wanted to know how it ultimately turned out.  Overall it was a fun read that kept me entertained.