Breakaway Books

Authored by Liane Moriarty; Published August 2024; Thriller

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️

I suffer from medical anxiety. To me, it is a surprise that anyone who grew up in the age of WebMD does not. So, the premise of Here One Moment, in which a woman informs many passengers on a domestic Australian flight of their causes and times of death, put me on edge. In the end, though, the novel won me over with ease.

Cherry is the “death lady” who made the unfortunate pronouncements over her fellow passengers, and the book proceeds to follow a few of them as they react to this declaration over their lives. While there is plenty of pondering over the veracity of fortune telling, the core of the book is really about how a person reacts to knowing their time is limited. We all know it theoretically, but it is another thing entirely to know your exact expiration date.

For me, it was inspiring: to watch ordinary people identify what they didn’t love in their life and take the brave step to change it. To find love, to quit a job with a horrible boss, to pursue the passion that seemed out of reach. The novel felt bighearted, an encouragement to savor all the moments we can on this earth. I loved in particular how it seemed to emphasize how long life can be, that a person can experience multiple beautiful high points and inutterable tragedies—and still go on living. It made me feel hopeful that truly, in the midst of awful circumstances, we can know that this too shall pass.

About half the novel is narrated from the perspective of the death lady, and her awkward, humorous tone quickly endeared me to her, in spite of the fact that she seemed quite the villain at first. I found myself connecting with Paula, a passenger whose OCD is immediately inflamed by the prediction of her young son’s early death, and who is determined to do everything in her power to prevent it. It felt raw and real to watch Paula and all her fellow passengers struggle with what this kind of death sentence can mean.

I confess, I cried at the end of Here One Moment. My heart was warmed, and I wanted to rush to tell my family and friends how much I loved them. I think you’ll love it, too.