My Here One Moment Review with Spoilers gives my opinion on this new book by Liane Moriarty. This is a love-it-or-hate-it book on Goodreads, which is always interesting. Which side do I come out on and will YOU love it … or not?
Here One Moment: Jen’s Quick Take
- This is one of Moriarty’s more philosophical books
- Definitely NOT suspense or a thriller
- I (and some Goodreads readers) found the book overly long and the ending disappointing
- But readable and discussable
- 512 pages, published on September 10, 2024 by Crown
- Thanks to the publisher for an advance review copy; I read this book in October 2024
- Also by this author: What Alice Forgot (2010), Big Little Lies (2014), The Husband’s Secret (2015), Nine Perfect Strangers (2018), Apples Never Fall (2021)
Here One Moment Review
Weirdly, this book reminded me of Moriarty’s very first book, What Alice Forgot, which was part of a short trend of magical realism in women’s fiction in the late 2000s and 2010s.
Remember books like The One That I Want by Alison Winn Scotch, and Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen?
The premise of Here One Moment is that on a short flight from Hobart to Sydney, a passenger (known in the book as Death Lady) walks down the aisle predicting the date and manner of death of all the passengers.
First they think she’s a bit nutty. Then, they find her annoying and weird.
But after the flight lands … one of her predictions comes true. The passengers freak out. The media gets wind of the story. Chaos ensues.
It’s a good premise. Is Death Lady a psychic? A serial killer?
I will reveal all in the spoilers below but here’s what I thought:
- During and after the flight, the passengers bond in a way that reminded me of Nine Perfect Strangers, which is still my least favorite book by Liane Moriarty.
- The book is very long and goes extensively into Cherry’s (Death Lady’s) life story. I found this aspect a bit tedious at times, but it’s necessary to make the ending work
- The other chapters are from the POVs of the passengers, who are wrestling with their fates
- Here One Moment does do a good job of showing how humans react to issues of mortality. Some are stoic and determined, some horrified, some traumatized.
I really disliked the ending, which I will explain under spoiler protection. I felt the same way about it as I did about the ending of Apples Never Fall. I thought that ending, while clever, was unsatisfying.
Will You Like Here One Moment?
- Is your tolerance for “woo-woo” subjects and philosophizing high? Then yes.
- Are you okay with a lot of POVs in a book? Then possibly.
- Do you not mind long, meandering books with a very loose plot? Then yes.
Spoilers for Here One Moment and The Ending Explained
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We usually agree, but I loved this one! I loved the interconnections and that it wasn’t a totally “woo-woo” explanation.
I am glad! I agree that once you get to the end, everything does tie together. Books with a mystical element are hit or miss for me, and I prefer her books that have a little less of that, but I remain a fan!