Throwing a diverse group of people together by chance or design – an ailing aircraft, a sinking ship, a burning building – and subjecting them to extreme events is an staple beloved especially of Hollywood. Under pressure of events the carefully fabricated personas of those trapped together are deconstructed and the protagonists forced to look into their souls – or at least confront the reality of their little lives. Those who survive we expect to see transformed, usually for the better.
Liane Moriarty gives the genre a new twist with her nine guests who rock up to an exclusive Australian health resort expecting the usual expensive round of fasting, exercise and New-Age bullshit. Most arrive in a state of resigned cynicism, expecting little more than a few days relief from their humdrum problems. Little do they know that their Russian hostess, Macha – a beautiful, driven, former Corporate Supremo – takes their transformation far more seriously than they do themselves.
The plot follows the usual conventions of the genre – the looming disaster is forewarned by a series of minor, but escalating, disconcerting events orchestrated by Masha and her team : unacknowledged searching of possessions, uninvited entering of bedrooms, practically forced extraction of blood samples. But these intimations of the trials to come fail to convince the guests that they are undergoing anything other than Masha’s radical therapy. Only when one of the guests (Heather, a midwife, whose son has committed suicide) realises that Masha has been drugging them does the precariousness of their situation dawn on them …but too late.
I won’t spoil the plot by describing the trials that Masha has prepared for her guests. Suffice it to say that they are sufficiently grave to provoke the anguished navel-gazing that she, and we, expected. Unfortunately, for me at least, their ordeal did not lead to any profound insights into the human condition. At best the characters became a little nicer, a little less paranoid, a little more at ease with themselves.
So a story with an interesting set-up fizzled out in a credulity-straining climax and a feel-good (over-extended) ending. It felt to me like a book rushed out to cash in on the success of ‘Big Little Lies’.
Joe Brannan's Blog 
I enjoyed the pace – this was a fun, breezy read. I like the idea of an ensemble cast and the approach that the author used to develop each of the strangers and entwine them – I enjoyed the “Australianess” – I guess there is a sense that this is made for Netflix, with a role for Nicole Kidman – and hopefully Matthew Le Nevez and Eddie Perfect!
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A very different book this time – a good book for sitting by the pool and needing an easy read!
I was looking forward to reading this having enjoyed the tv series for big little lies and started the book expecting a complex intertwining and deconstruction of characters…
It was an interesting setting and liked that there were many evolving story lines (the family tormented but the loss of a son, the troubled marriage, the individuals wanting to find solace and maybe lose a bit of weight). As often with these easy reads, you are drawn in by a friendly narrator and easy flow of the book.
Whilst the twist was unexpected (and unlike other holiday easy reads, was about something other than a love interest going wrong or right!) but unfortunately I felt the escape room section was stretched out a little too long and also a bit too far fetched, and then the book was quickly over – with the predicted ending…
I finished this quickly and some time ago and whilst it was easy and enjoyable, it hasn’t made a lasting impact. It was a bit of light relief after the fairly deep ‘a secret history’ though!
And Debbie I agree!
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Finally finished this book. It’s would have been a perfect sun lounger holiday read and most likely something i would have snapped up and finished in a couple days – lounging by a pool. However I was not so this felt rather difficult to get through!
I know I’m not the quickest of readers but I just felt like this book took a while to get into and then it all happened in the last few chapters. I kept thinking to myself when will this get interesting. By the end when we all know how mental Masha was- I was thinking ‘when will this end?!?’Just abit too drawn out for me in places.
I did enjoy that it was based in Australian though and did sympathies with the characters. I think I could recognise a-bit myself in every one.
Totally agree with Debbie it’s written for the screen!
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I agree with previous comments – this would have been a good holiday read. Nevertheless I did quite enjoy it. The author introduced the nine characters well and I did not have any difficulty remembering who they all were – they all seemed quite amiable and likeable. I thought the basis of the book – based around a retreat – was a good one but some of the content was unbelievable and everything at the end seemed to end too ‘happy ever after’, and it all felt a little rushed. I thought some of the characters could have been explored a little more – for me, particularly, Jessica and Ben. I am intrigued by this trend of young women wanting plastic surgery to be ‘body beautiful’ so it was interesting to hear Ben’s point of view – that he didn’t want Jessica to look any different and wanted her to look like she did – I wanted more on this whole subject – perhaps an opportunity missed.
I didn’t see the twist in the story coming until Heather asked her question and then I got it. I could believe they were being drugged but not the rest of it I’m afraid (believing they were being locked in etc) and surely Masha would not in reality be allowed to continue in this field of work.
Anyway, a good light hearted read with nothing too complicated.
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