Here One Moment By Liane Moriarty

Summary

Liane Moriarty peels the curtain and offers insight into life, death, and human fate in her book Here One Moment. It is an aviation yarn of a flight from Hobart to Sydney which progresses ordinarily for some peculiar till an unknown woman referred to as ‘the Death Lady’ makes a strange revelation. One of the passengers, she even calculates, is going to die from starvation at a particular age. What one feels as an intrusion from the start of the book transforms into an existential concept and returns the focus on passengers and readers to the profound questions of existence.

The use of fate versus free will is the major theme of the story. Alive characters are: Leo, a civil engineer who carries his guilt complex to an almost paralyzing condition; Sue and Max, a middle-aged couple with little idea of what they have left in the future; Allegra, a cabin crew female who for her discontent and unsatisfied desire brought her to road trip adventure. Everyone wakes up in an existential crisis trying to cope with the words from the Death Lady on-screen and life thereafter.

The primary conflict revolves around the central question: Knowing also the circumstances and time of one’s death, is a question that may make one apprehend how one would want to live. This conflict is developed with well-rounded characters who have different views on life, death and their ability to influence it. Though I shall not reveal a lot of detail as to just how all of these plot lines come together, the denouement satisfies in equal measures both sadness and optimism, which leads the reader to finally consider their paths in life and their relationships.

Key Themes

Free Will vs. Determinism: The book explores whether we control our destinies or if life’s outcomes are predestined, a theme amplified by the Death Lady’s predictions.

Grief and Acceptance: The narrative delves deeply into how individuals confront grief and come to terms with mortality, offering an emotional resonance that’s hard to ignore.

Connections and Humanity: From strangers on a plane to shared experiences of vulnerability, the novel emphasizes the importance of human connections in navigating life’s uncertainties.

The Value of the Present: The book asks readers to examine how they live their lives, urging mindfulness and appreciation for the moment.

Experience

Reading Here One Moment was quite an up-and-down experience. I remember being intrigued at the beginning of the movie when all the passengers in the aeroplane heard their loud fates and I was thinking to myself what I’d do if I were on the plane. I love that Moriarty on one hand can make me laugh, then in the next chapter broke my heart. The storytelling is light and funny but at the same time, the author asks rather deep philosophical questions, memories are amusing but with a certain wisdom behind them.

There was one moment that I found very powerful: The realistic ER nurse Sue tried to recall what dreams she might have had once but could not name any before she added travel. It forced me to stop and look at the way people push happiness away thinking there is plenty of time in the future for it. One that opened my eyes was Allegra’s search for acceptance in herself, searching for love in herself- a very believable character. The feelings that drew me into Moriarty’s thinking were real and substantive — I did feel a spike of anxiety when I read the predictions, sadness when the characters opened up their souls and concern as the future unfolded, and finally, joy when in the last section that said ‘it could all work out’.

The book also taught the important lesson that though we may not have control over what happens in our lives, we do determine how we react to it. I remained grateful for the amity, friendships, and experiences that constitute the richness of life.

Strengths

I found that Here One Moment has a well-developed character particularly, Moriarty’s. She develops vibrant, three-dimensional people who are strangers one moment and friends you’ve known forever the next. As I watched, I felt like I wanted to reach out and tell Leo that it would be okay, when his guilt and anxiety about missing his daughter’s musical was this palpable. Sue and Max’s interaction as a long-time couple had the funny and the profound as Allegra’s attempt to find herself while struggling with the reality of her beauty.

Moriarty’s massed prose is another testimony to this assertion. Her words are witty but tender, as seen in the line, “She was not extremely pregnant like the extremely pregnant woman” — and such a line creates very appealing imagery. However, this brings up concerns about pacing, and I’m delighted to say that this book’s pacing was well-timed. One good thing that comes with this is that the story is told from different perspectives, which makes it exciting and the plot introduces just enough mystery to keep you interested.

Finally, it is essential to underline that the themes addressed by this book are highly topical and multifaceted. Moriarty doesn’t just perform; she makes you evaluate life, at least that’s what she did for me. A lot of time is given to notions of predestination, mortality and human attachment, and this blending phantasmagoria is conducted with subtlety that goes as deep as the author’s prose.

Weaknesses

This is more like having the only warm bath because if I had to mention a weakness I would have said some of the subplots are sometimes predictable. For instance, there is much to care for about Allegra’s plot, but there are moments of cliché coming-of-age storyline involved. Furthermore, it is only concerning the Death Lady that one can regret that the creator did not devote more attention to the character’s past. The ambiguity served the series well, but the fact is that I would have liked to understand more about her motives, or how she got her powers.

One trivial concern is that, for readers who want straightforward answers to the ontological questions, some of them might have been left unanswered at their end, for the author intentionally designed most of the philosophical questions woven into the story to have no definitive answers. But I believe it is this exact lack of clarity that is deliberate, and the nature of real life as well.

Final Thoughts

Here One Moment may be best suited for readers who love to get their brain wheels spinning reading fiction with a subtle hint of comedy and suspense. Liane Moriarty's main idea is that it is a very good and entertaining story that makes people think about their lives, death, and all that in between.

Readers who would like to find character development, and a captivating plot and read novels with elements of philosophy will like this book. If there is one thing that is sure in life it is death, and this novel will leave you with some important questions answered.

To all readers, I encourage and appeal to their conscience as they read Here One Moment. Perhaps one should write about what they want to do if they know they have only a limited time to live. It must be said that the book is about more than sharing another story: it exists as an invitation to fully live a human existence. Swim in, and be ready to get your heart touched!

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My Recommendations

If you loved Here One Moment, I’d recommend checking out the following books:

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty — Another brilliant exploration of secrets, relationships, and human nature.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig — A reflective tale about life’s possibilities and regrets.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty — A quirky, mysterious story about healing and connection.

Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino — A poignant look at love and missed opportunities.

Disclaimer

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