Let's Bust a Recap : The Hypnotist's Love Story

Australian author Liane Moriarty has really exploded onto the scene in the last few years. Three of her eight novels have been picked up by production companies to be adapted into television series (in the cases of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers) and a movie (in the case of The Husband's Secret), and Big Little Lies was such a hit it was nominated for sixteen Emmys and took home eight of them. 

I first heard of her while perusing one of Modern Mrs Darcy's posts a few years ago about some of the most unputdownable books she's read. She had included Moriarty's What Alice Forgot in her list, and after reading her little blurb about it, I promptly added it to my wishlist. Naturally, when I came across it at The Book Shelter, I brought it home where it has been sitting on my shelf—ignored—ever since. 

I still haven't read What Alice Forgot, but a few weeks ago when I took a bag of books that I was getting rid of to The Book Shelter, this other title of hers caught my eye. (And by the way, it's the only book I got on that particular jaunt to The Book Shelter and it was free because of the credit I got for the books I traded in, thankyouverymuch.) I started reading it the very next day on a little Galentine's beach trip I took with my mom with the intent that I would check the "last book acquired" box off on The Unread Shelf's 2021 Bingo Card. 

I have since bought two more books by Liane Moriarty. 

The Hypnotist's Love Story was published in 2011 and is about a professional hypnotherapist named Ellen O'Farrell who is at a point in her life where she's ready to get married and settle down. She thinks she may have met The One when he abruptly tells her they need to talk. As Ellen braces for the worst, she is pleasantly surprised when her boyfriend has no interest in breaking up, but informs her that he unfortunately has a very serious stalker. Far from being upset by this, she's actually quite intrigued. She even considers what it would be like to meet her and talk to her.

Little does she know, she already has. 

Muahahahaha! Doesn't that just sound deliciously creepy?

In all seriousness though, when I started The Hypnotist's Love Story, I had my reservations. At the beginning of the novel, Ellen and Patrick are on their fourth date and Ellen is ready to take Patrick home and get into bed with him. Apparently, premarital sex after only knowing someone a very short time has truly become a foregone conclusion in today's society, but not in my world and I was starting to think that I may just need to write off contemporary literature for good. On top of that, all the hippie-dippy hypnotism stuff was a little annoying and seemed heavy-handed at first as well. 

But, Moriarty hooked me with this story. And while she may not have intended it as a commentary on premarital sex and cohabitation, this story clearly portrays the practical and emotional consequences of living with multiple partners before committing to one person for life. 

My absolute favorite aspect of this book was the way Moriarty chose to switch back and forth between the third person point of view in Ellen's case, and the first person point of view in the stalker's case. It was creepy and unconventional and riveting, and I did not want to put the book down. 

The other thing I wasn't expecting was to feel sympathetic toward the stalker. Moriarty gave me that ethically murky tension I love in a good novel. (See also: The Scarlet Letter or Rebecca.) When you can make me root for a character and disagree with that same character's choices to the point where I'm really wrestling internally over that character's behavior, you have made a fan out of me. And Moriarty achieved that effortlessly. 

All this to say, The Hypnotist's Love Story was a highly satisfying read for me and an absolutely perfect choice for a fast-paced beach read. I give it two thumbs up, and I'm certain this will not be the only novel I'll be reading by Liane Moriarty this year. 

The question is: which one should I read next?