The Hypnotist's Love Story / Liane Moriarty - 4****

[Book Concierge]

The Hypnotist’s Love Story – Liane Moriarty
Audible audio performed by Tamara Lovatt Smith
4****

Ellen O’Farrell works out of her home as a professional hypnotherapist. She likes her life, except for a failed romance. She’s moved on but would welcome another shot at a long-term relationship. Then she meets Patrick. They hit it off and things are going well when he spouts the dreaded “We need to talk.” Turns out Patrick has an ex-girlfriend who is stalking him.

What an interesting and fresh take on relationships and the psychology of love. What makes us attracted to one another? What holds us together? What happens when one partner moves on, but the other hangs on – desperately, crazily, dangerously?

The relationships between these three people – Patrick, Ellen and Saskia (the ex-girlfriend) – are complicated by misinterpretation, jumping to conclusions, and secrets kept from one another. They are all broken in some way, and all trying to come to grips with past and current relationships. And it will take a significant crisis to finally bring some sense of resolution, however tenuous.

Tamara Lovatt Smith does a fine job narrating the audiobook. However, Moriarty switches point of view between the two women. In the text it’s a little easier to tell when she switches. One character’s perspective is always written in first person, the other in third person narrative. However, there is much dialogue in which a character would naturally speak in first person. (e.g. “I went to the store.”) While this is easy to discern on the printed page, it’s less obvious when listening. Not the narrator’s fault at all, but it still adversely affected the audio experience. I would probably have rated this higher if I had read the text rather than listened.


LINK to my review

[NancyJ]

Book Concierge wrote: "

Thanks for the useful review. If I read this I'll stick with the print book. I like the premise of this book, so I might try it. I've had mixed reactions to Liane Moriarty books. I really loved What Alice Forgot, but I lost a little more affection with each successive book after that. Truly Madly Guilty was my last and least favorite.

[Amy]

I loved this book and it was my first Moriarty. Lovely review BC, and I agree with everyone who said having Nancy around has been such a lovely addition - welcome!