I finally finished Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, and I have to say—it’s a solid 4.5-star read for me!
The story begins mid-flight from Hobart to Sydney, where an enigmatic older woman suddenly delivers eerily specific predictions about the deaths of her fellow passengers. The tension builds as her strange, unsettling pronouncements start coming true. What follows is a layered, emotional, and twist-filled journey as the passengers grapple with the uncertainty of their fate and what it means for their lives.
What I loved most about this book was how brilliantly Moriarty wove together the individual stories of the passengers. I had seen another blogger (I think it was runnersfly.com) mention that she didn’t know how Moriarty would wrap this one up when she was about halfway through—and I completely agreed at the time! The stakes felt so high, the twists so unexpected, that I worried about how the ending would land and I wasn’t prepared for it to be a sad ending. But in true Moriarty fashion, she tied it all up with a satisfying bow.
If you’re in the mood for a thought-provoking story packed with suspense, humor, and layers of complexity, Here One Moment is a must-read. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Moriarty or new to her work, you’re in for a treat.
Content Warnings
Death, grief, death of a parent, cancer, suicidal thoughts
Summary/Spoilers
SPOILERS BELOW!!
Cherry did not actually see the future. She was a retired actuary who thought in statistics of populations. Her husband ended up dying of a heart issue and her two best friends end up dying in a car accident. She was grieving so badly that she went into a sort of trance when she thought she saw a young woman wearing her old wedding dress.
Three deaths that Cherry predicted did come true, a teenage girl in a car accident and two older people died – but since they were so old it was sort of anticipated.
Cherry’s mom was a fortune teller that ended up getting sick and dying. Multiple people who did have their deaths predicted made better life choices because of it. A married couple in lots of debt decided to move in with their parents. A struggling mom trying to hide from her OCD finally gets help. The flight attendant goes through chronic pain but does not die by suicide, and decides to be in a relationship with the pilot. Leo does not die in a construction accident but does move closer to his family, he avoids a construction machine falling him on him when Cherry calls out.
The ending was great (to me) – the young boy of the OCD mom that was predicted to drown at 7 ends up winning a gold medal at the Olympics. His mom had put him in so many swimming lessons to prevent the drowning death – and he might have died at the age of 7 after falling into some water, but his strong swimming ability saved him.
I really enjoyed this one! Even though I read most of it while on planes.