Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve
Liane Moriarty’s books are undeniably popular. Over 20,000,000 copies have sold worldwide. She has been crowned the modern Jane Austen in her ability to capture modern urban life in all its variety, lacing this with her perceptive wit. Her writing is not ‘chick lit.’ escaping into a stereotypical world. Plots are engaging, characters readily identified and credible, and her compelling style leads to snapshots of social attitudes and, at times, amusing situations.
Here One Moment begins with the all too familiar scenario of an assortment of passengers boarding a flight from Hobart to Sydney. A really elderly couple are on the final stage of their holiday. A young couple, Eve and Dom, are returning from their honeymoon in Tasmania, and are sitting near a distressed mother with a squalling baby and a toddler. There is an anxious father afraid he will miss his daughter’s school play because the flight had been delayed; Kayla is frightened of flying and her nervousness is obvious. They and the others are all in the capable hands of Allegra, one of the flight attendants.
This apparently routine flight is suddenly interrupted and becomes, unexpectedly, very strange. The relaxed calm of the cabin alters as an old woman begins to move down the aisle and point to certain individuals. She makes predictions concerning the death of these passengers. One will die quite soon in a traffic accident. Another is killed in a work-related incident. A little boy will drown at age 7, and a young man die as a result of an assault within the year.
Some of the ‘victims’ laugh their prediction off as being the raving of an old woman. Others feel chilled but six are worried about their imminent death in coming months. Reactions vary. Some accept the predictions others decide to do the utmost to avoid their demise.
Liane Moriarty’s book is a clever and entertaining examination of attitudes to fate and the power and exercising of free will. She is adept in describing her characters’ predicaments and the way they long for assurance in a troubled, uncertain world.
It is the skill by which she weaves her characters in the plot which eventually leads to the discovery of the identity of the so called ‘death lady’. Ultimately, we learn that her name is Cherry; she is a brilliant mathematician and is grievously suffering after the funeral of her beloved husband, Ned. The links are revealed, the explanations surface and relief arrives.
This does not lessen the drama as the finale takes place after four deaths have occurred, and the former passengers under threat connect to uncover the source of their anxiety.
Throughout the book, questions on contemporary mores arise. This makes Here One Moment an outstanding addition to her published works. Its substance elevates it to being more than a ‘good holiday read’.
I do have a problem with the explanation for Cherry’s inflicting her dire predictions on those she fingered. Can profound grief compel a brilliant woman to act in such a bizarrely disturbing and, in truth, dangerous manner?
Towards the end, she offers a charming suggestion for banishing depression and/or grief.
It is OGT. You must think of One Good Thing, every day!
Here One Moment
[2024]
by Liane Moriarty
Pan Macmillan
ISBN 978 176078 503 1
$34.99; 510pp