After a near fatal heart attack, Masha - a strikingly attractive businesswoman who emigrated to Australia from Russia - got herself into shape and opened a health spa. The facility, called 'Tranquillium House', is a pricey resort dedicated to changing people's lives through good nutrition, exercise, counseling, and meditation.
Nine guests have signed up for the spa's next 10-day retreat.
- Francis Welty: A romance writer whose popularity is declining and whose heart was broken by an online scammer with a 'sick son.' Disillusioned by the con artist, reeling from a scathing book review, and suffering from an aching back, Francis is looking for rest, relaxation, and spiritual enlightenment.
- Jessica and Ben Chandler - nouveau riche twenty-somethings whose marriage suffered when Ben became obsessed with his yellow Lamborghini and Jessica became addicted to plastic surgery and social media. The pair signed up for couples counseling.
- Heather and Napoleon Marconi and their 20-year-old daughter Zoe - all of whom are reeling from the death of Zoe's twin brother Zach a few years ago. The Marconis need to get away for the anniversary of Zach's passing and deal with their guilt.
- Carmel Schneider - a divorced mother of four whose ex-husband has a new girlfriend. Carmel wants to shed a few kilos and feel better about herself.
Lars Lee - a drop-dead handsome divorce lawyer who takes only women clients, and makes sure they get their fair share of the assets. Lars likes to vacation at spas, while his loving (but intense) husband stays home and practices cycling.
- Tony Hogburn - a former professional football player who let himself go. Tony wants to get into better shape.
Masha organizes all the activities at Tranquillium House with the help of her two assistants: Yao - a former paramedic who has a crush on his charismatic boss, and Delilah - who's worked for the Russian since she was a workaholic with a corner office.
Yao and Delilah greet the guests when they arrive and guide them through their stay, while Masha leads the counseling and meditation sessions. Other employees at the spa prepare food; do laundry; give massages; and so on.
The story is told through the rotating points of view of all the main characters, with Frances and Masha being the primary narrators.
Frances's experience at Tranquillium House starts off badly when she drives up and the entrance code doesn't work and no one answers the phone. When Frances finally gets to her room, she discovers that her suitcase has been searched and her contraband (wine and chocolate) taken. Still, Frances decides to be a good sport and follow the program.
Thus - like the other participants - Frances attends Masha's individual counseling, group counseling, and group meditation sessions; drinks custom made smoothies; eats personalized meals; and participates in the 'noble silence.' This exercise - which spans the first five days of the retreat - requires that the guests remain silent and avoid eye contact (except during counseling sessions).
As the days pass, the characters get to know each other, and even have breakthroughs about themselves. A few reveal deep dark secrets that help us understand their choices and behavior.
Masha is pleased with her guests' spiritual and physical progress and grows increasingly determined to 'heal and enlighten' them. In fact, Masha seems to view herself almost as a goddess-mother taking care of her 'children.'
Then things take a REALLY odd turn. Nuff said. 🤐
The story includes drama and humor (butt cheeks with smiley face tattoos anyone? 🙂🙂) but moves too slowly and doesn't have enough 'wow' moments. To be fair, the book contains interesting and diverse character studies, which might be enough for some readers, but I wanted more pizzazz.
Rating: 3 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment