Nine Perfect Strangers (by Liane Moriarty)
I was recently telling a coworker about a meditation retreat I’m attending soon. It’s my first retreat, btw. She asked me if it’s going to be like the meditation retreat depicted in the Hulu miniseries with Nicole Kidman. My coworker’s love of streaming and my love of reading allowed us to figure out she was talking about Liane Moriarty’s book. I watched the preview for the tv miniseries and immediately snagged the book off of my wishlist, where it’s been sitting since publication.
Moriarty did a great job writing about the retreat center and other elements that can be a part of meditation retreats. I like how she gradually revealed the back story of the nine retreat participants, the center owner, and staff. It’s a lengthy book and it seemed to take a long time to get to the super weird and shocking components of the retreat experience. Once the story climaxed, it felt rushed and awkward. Then, it was suddenly all over. The participants dispersed and the rest of the book provided updates on the participants’ lives after their retreat experience.
I’m glad I read the book. Not sure I will be watching the Hulu miniseries though. It’s hard to tell how far the tv version deviates from the book. I’m excited for my first meditation retreat and am hopeful it will be a better experience than portrayed in this book.
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