Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

I had been eagerly awaiting the chance to read Moriarty's latest book and I wasn't disappointed. It tells the story of nine strangers at a health spa. The protagonist, menopausal Frances, writes romance novels but has just had her first one rejected by her publisher. Other guests include a young wealthy couple and a family of three who lost a son/brother to suicide.

The dialogue between Frances and other characters, about her writing, allowed Moriarty to include a number of metafictive moments. Criticisms of Frances' writing were repeated in the plot line of Nine Perfect Strangers, creating laugh out loud parody.

The health spa is run by a former Russian corporate high flyer, Masha. The character's name comes from the winning bidder at a Starlight Children's Foundation auction. Her prize was to have her name in one of Moriarty's books. It was great to see that the name was given to one of the main characters.

The spa was unconventional in ways that went beyond plausible into the realms of comedy.  The story balanced the serious issue of teen suicide, with the comic spa and the carefully crafted and credible characters Moriarty is well known for. It was a great read!