How is it that I, a middle-class, middle-aged white Australian woman, have never read a Moriarty book before now?! I was failing all sorts of stereotypes but NO MORE. I have joined my clan. I have Moriartied. I have no regrets.
‘Here One Moment’ starts with a great What If…? premise. What if, on a frustratingly delayed domestic flight from Hobart to Sydney, an elderly woman suddenly rises from her seat, points at you, and says ‘I expect you to die by [cause] at [age]’. And she doesn’t just do this to you, but to every single passenger and even the flight attendant.
What would you do?
Would you ignore her and chalk the whole thing up to a crackpot prank? A mental health crisis in action? A sick joke? Or would you take this woman to be a psychic and start to panic spiral as your remaining days ticked down? That’s a hell of a hook.
Moriarty spins a delicate thread of intertwined stories here, as the consequences of that fateful flight unfurl. We track an anxious mother, an overworked father, young newlyweds, happily retired boomers, and young professionals as they come to grips with their potential mortality. For some, it’s all a bit of a laugh until the first death occurs, just as predicted. And then another…
‘Here One Moment’ starts strong, builds beautifully, and ends with a satisfying conclusion. It was, in other words, the perfect summer read for this Southern Hemisphere dweller. It reminded me a little of the recent Stephen King short story that I read, ‘The Answer Man’. I would highly recommend it.
Overall, 5 Kronecker Delta symbols out of 5.