Nine Perfect Strangers

Author:          Liane Moriarty

Recommendation:          Pass

Do you ever read a book and think to yourself: the author is trying to stay relevant? That’s exactly how I felt reading this book. Moriarty tries to throw in too many “buzz words” and the book felt like she is trying to reach a young audience while having a middle-aged woman be the main character.

The premise of the book is that nine individuals choose to visit Tranquillum House for a ten-day retreat to better their lives. Each has a different goal in mind, but Tranquillum House promises to transform their lives.

I don’t want to spoil any of the book for anyone because, if you decide to read it, there are a lot of moments that you do not expect – and I really enjoy a book that takes me by surprise. There were several moments in this book that elicited that reaction from me, so I certainly don’t think it was a waste of time to read. The reason I am giving this book a Pass is because I don’t believe it has any significant impact on literature or society. It’s a fun read for when you just need to shut off your brain and relax for a bit.

With that said, I think the book does a good job talking about mental health. You learn early on in the book that the family who is visiting Tranquillum House lost their son to suicide. This is the obvious mental health subject – the young teenage son who fell victim to his own depression. But each of the characters exhibits their own battles with mental health – some more than others. From aging, to career loss, to transitioning from living paycheck-to-paycheck to winning the lottery, each character has their own internal battle that affects their life more than they know.

I always applaud authors who are willing to touch on mental health. While I think our society is moving more towards talking openly about mental health and treatment, the topic still tends to feel taboo. The reality is that many people live and struggle with mental health. The National Alliance on Mental Health states that 18.5% of adults in the U.S. experience mental illness in any given year (https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers), most of those stemming from anxiety-related issues. In the state prison population, that number rises to over 24%. One statistic that I found particularly interesting from the National Institute of Mental Health, is that women experience mental health issues at much higher rates than men – at 21.7% versus 14.5% (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml). I do wonder, however, if that is because women feel more comfortable seeking help for mental health than men. From my own experiences, and this is strictly anecdotal, I find my female colleagues to have sought the help of a therapist much more frequently than my male colleagues. Again, this may be due to women feeling more comfortable discussing those issues, or it may be because men have an easier time dealing with mental health issues on their own and aren’t as interested in seeking professional help. No matter your situation, seeking mental help is not a sign of weakness. It is, in fact, a benefit not only to the individual, but also to those that are personally close to them.