Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
Review by Mirah Welday (mwelday)
Liane Moriarty is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. First I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Husband’s Secret and now I’ve experienced Three Wishes. Three Wishes brings us face to face with the Kettle triplets who are celebrating their 33rd birthdays. The triplets are funny and frustrating. I love them on one page and on another page I want to scream at them. But all of this love/hate makes for an interesting novel that isn’t predictable. Moriarty created strong female characters with their own methods of dealing with stress, happiness, and trauma.
The Kettle triplets (Cat, Lyn, and Gemma) are deeply connected but they each want to be individuals. Their relationships with one another can be tumultuous and heartbreaking; however, they are also fiercely loyal to one another. Each sister has her role to play and any move to break out of that role can be difficult and lead to resentment. I believe Gemma was my favorite character; a free spirit with hidden depths of intelligence and emotion, Gemma was, in my opinion, the most interesting and least predictable triplet.
Dispersed throughout the novel are memories other people have of the triplets at different times in their lives. Having these strangers’ accounts of moments in the triplets’ lives (seeing them in a restaurant or on the beach) allows the reader to see how the triplets unknowingly impacted the lives of strangers around them.
Moriarty writes with an authenticity and a sense of authority on human relationships. Her characters are realistic and have qualities we may see in ourselves or loved ones. Moriarty puts a lens to these qualities and makes us reevaluate our own actions and thoughts without being condescending or obvious.
I enjoyed my brief time with the Kettle triplets. Now my big question is what Liane Moriarty novel should I read next?
