The Hypnotist's Love Story

Liane Moriarty doesn't release books often enough for my tastes. Her stories are creative, upbeat but also true to life. While this is nominally a love story, the romance between Ellen and Patrick is anything but a fairy tale. They meet through an online dating site, slowly fall in love, but are challenged by the ghosts of Patrick's past - his first wife died, and his previous girlfriend Saskia has been stalking him for several years, ever since their breakup.

I didn't expect to feel so much empathy for a stalker, but Saskia tore my heart out. She didn't do anything wrong except refuse to let go of the relationship, after serving as mother to Patrick's young son for several years. While I couldn't agree with her bizarre behavior, I could definitely understand the feelings that caused it. By the end of the book I was rooting harder for her to find some peace than for Ellen and Patrick to have their HEA. Fortunately Liane Moriarty provides both - despite Patrick's label of Saskia as a “bunny boiler,” this is no “Fatal Attraction.”

Bonus points for interesting descriptions of hypnosis and discussion of what it can and cannot accomplish.

Write faster, Ms. Moriarty!