Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

BOOK REVIEW

This is an intriguing story about free will and destiny and the uniqueness of the human spirit.

The long, fascinating saga is a mind-bending mystery with mystical choices, dramatic and philosophical elements.

It would be a smart choice for a book club pick, as there is so much to discuss and analyse.

The characters are well fleshed out and the storylines are clean.

Here One Moment starts out on an ordinary day where there is a flight delay of five minutes on a regular flight from Hobart to Sydney.

The delay stretches to 10 minutes and then an hour.

As passengers grapple with frustrations, and one screaming baby lets everyone know his distress, an older woman named Cherry suddenly stands up and with complete clarity predicts how and when everyone on the plane will die.

Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane.

Her appearance and demeanour are unremarkable but what she does on that flight is truly remarkable.

Some passengers treat her as a joke, but for six passengers the news is deeply unsettling as their predicted deaths are not that far away and the circumstances surprisingly plausible.

The book follows the six passengers on their dazed and confusing next few months, with a sense of desperation and urgency growing as Cherry’s predictions come true.

The characters are incredibly interesting and the narrative switches back and forth from the current timeline and the passengers to Cherry’s past, and her eventual present.

I loved Cherry’s story, her peculiar, quirky, intelligent ways, her connection with her long-gone dad, her psychic mother and her eccentric aunt.

I admired her choices to live a long and fulfilling life, her happiness and her losses.

The book delivers a powerful message, advising readers to live their lives fully in their limited time.

The book opens with a quote from Stephen Hawking: “I have noticed that even people who claim everything is predestined and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road”.

Julie Chessman