Book Review: "Here One Moment" by Liane Moriarty

“If free will doesn’t exist, if all your decisions and actions are inevitable, are you still required to apologize for them?”

It seemed like an ordinary flight on an ordinary day. Yes, there were delays, but ultimately, the plane took off and headed for its destination.

Unexpectedly, an older woman stood up and got out of her seat. At first, no one paid her much attention. But then she started telling each passenger something—the cause of their death and the age at which they will die. Some were told they will die many years into the future, yet some were told their deaths will be sooner and, in some cases, more tragic.

Is this some sort of joke, some sort of scam, or does the woman really know of what she speaks? After the flight lands and the passengers go on their way, the woman’s predictions haunt them. Should they change the trajectory of their lives to avoid any possibility of dying the way she predicted? No one knows for sure until the first few deaths occur.

The narrative that follows traces a number of the passengers and how their lives are affected by what they were told. It also focuses on the woman and the story of her life, and how she came to the moments on the plane.

I felt like this book had a lot of potential but was just way too long. I definitely got attached to many of the characters, but the woman’s narrative never grabbed me, and it seemed to take me out of the story. Ultimately though, the book’s message of living in the moment and not having regrets is a good one.