Here One Moment
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From the beloved author of Big Little Lies, Apples Never Fall, and The Husband's Secret comes a moving novel of love, marriage, family, and trying to find certainty in a fragile world. "A riveting story so wild you don't know how she'll land it, and then she does, on a dime."--Anne Lamott
Life is full of twists and turns you never see coming. But what if you did? The plane is jam-packed. Every seat is taken. So of course the flight is delayed! Flight attendant Allegra Patel likes her job--she's generally happy with her life, even if she can't figure out why she hooks up with a man she barely speaks to--but today is her twenty-eighth birthday. She can think of plenty of things she'd rather be doing than placating a bunch of grumpy passengers. There's the well-dressed man in seat 4C who is compulsively checking his watch, desperate not to miss his eleven-year-old daughter's musical. Further back, a mother of two is frantically trying to keep her toddler entertained and her infant son quiet. How did she ever think being a stay-at-home mom would be easier than being a lawyer? Ethan is lost in thought; he's flying back from his first funeral. A young couple has just gotten married; she's still wearing her wedding dress. An emergency room nurse is looking forward to traveling the world once she retires in a few years, it's going to be so much fun! If they ever get off the tarmac. . . . Suddenly a woman none of them know stands up. She makes predictions about how and when everyone on board will die. Some dismiss her. Others will do everything they can to make sure her prophecies do not come to pass. All of them will be forever changed. How would you live your life if you thought you knew how it would end? Would you love who you love or try to love someone else? Would you stay married? Would you stop drinking? Would you call up your ex-best friend you haven't spoken to in years? Would you quit your job? Intricately plotted, with the wonderful wit Liane Moriarty has become famous for, Here One Moment brilliantly looks at friends, lovers, and family and how we manage to hold onto them in our harried modern lives.
Life is full of twists and turns you never see coming. But what if you did? The plane is jam-packed. Every seat is taken. So of course the flight is delayed! Flight attendant Allegra Patel likes her job--she's generally happy with her life, even if she can't figure out why she hooks up with a man she barely speaks to--but today is her twenty-eighth birthday. She can think of plenty of things she'd rather be doing than placating a bunch of grumpy passengers. There's the well-dressed man in seat 4C who is compulsively checking his watch, desperate not to miss his eleven-year-old daughter's musical. Further back, a mother of two is frantically trying to keep her toddler entertained and her infant son quiet. How did she ever think being a stay-at-home mom would be easier than being a lawyer? Ethan is lost in thought; he's flying back from his first funeral. A young couple has just gotten married; she's still wearing her wedding dress. An emergency room nurse is looking forward to traveling the world once she retires in a few years, it's going to be so much fun! If they ever get off the tarmac. . . . Suddenly a woman none of them know stands up. She makes predictions about how and when everyone on board will die. Some dismiss her. Others will do everything they can to make sure her prophecies do not come to pass. All of them will be forever changed. How would you live your life if you thought you knew how it would end? Would you love who you love or try to love someone else? Would you stay married? Would you stop drinking? Would you call up your ex-best friend you haven't spoken to in years? Would you quit your job? Intricately plotted, with the wonderful wit Liane Moriarty has become famous for, Here One Moment brilliantly looks at friends, lovers, and family and how we manage to hold onto them in our harried modern lives.
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Community Reviews
Fun read that was entertaining. I absolutely adore the writing style and tried to pace myself to enjoy it longer.
“If you were given…six months to live–and money was no object and you still felt okay–how would you want to spend your time?...Chaos theory is the idea that a tiny change now can result in a large change later…even the most insignificant change in the atmosphere may have a dramatic effect on the weather. Could the flap of a butterfly’s wing in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?...the analogy originally invoked the flap of a seagull's wing…that theoretically could, or could prevent a tornado.”
“That day, on the flight from Hobart to Sydney, I was the butterfly. Actually, I was the less poetic seagull…I walked through the plane squawking my predictions, flapping my wings, and my actions had consequences. I was an agent of chaos.”
“Was I thinking of death as I boarded the plane and contemplating the fact that everyone on that plane would one day die, and wondering what their causes of death would ultimately be? Well. That’s the only one of my questions I can answer with certainty. Of course I was thinking of death.” “I have been told I pointed at passengers while repeating these four words, ‘Fate won’t be fought’... ‘You’re telling us how and when we’re going to die?’...’Cause of death. Age of death…It’s really very simple.’” What do you expect?
“I have never really had a nickname before. So it’s unfortunate that my first was ‘the Death Lady’...That’s when Deathlady became a trending hashtag across multiple social media platforms…There has always been a special kind of fury and contempt reserved for women perceived to have supernatural powers.”
“But that’s the thing about life: both your wildest dreams and your worst nightmares can come true…You can’t trick destiny, you can’t strong-arm your life in a different direction, some things are meant to be, and you don’t always get to choose, all you can do is enjoy the ride…No more fussing…simply cherish every moment…allocated until there are no more.” Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a novel of grave expectations with a “happily, for the most part, ever after.”
This had potential as a novel surrounding the fragility of life but honestly it was a let down. Slow and boring. 3/10
This is my first time reading a book by this author, and I have to say, I was hooked from the creepy beginning.
The story is about a group of people on a routine flight who find out when they will die. One mysterious woman predicts their deaths, which leads to unexpected consequences. The book explores themes of fate, free will, grief, and love, all while maintaining a sense of mystery and intrigue.
I never read the blurb before diving into a book - I like to be surprised and not know what to expect. After a few chapters, I had a pretty good idea of where the story was heading, even though it's not my usual genre. But I still found myself really enjoying it. The book was a bit long, but the writing was top-notch. I'd recommend this as an easy read for a lazy summer day, especially when it's raining outside. Even though there wasn't a lot of action, there was still so much to take away from this cleverly written book.
Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for my ARC digital copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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