Nine Perfect Strangers

For the first time in years, Carmel Schneider has time to herself. As much as she’s enjoying the chance to relax and lose weight, she can’t help but think about her four daughters. She worried about the girls, who are currently vacationing in Europe with her ex-husband and his fiancé. She fights to maintain her dignity even though her divorce makes her feel sad. Frances’s hair reminds Carmel of her husband’s fiancé, forcing her to return to her room in tears. She wants to be fitter and happier after attending the spa so that her ex-husband, Joel, will be shocked by her new appearance and regret his decision to leave her. She desperately wants to be changed by her experience at the spa, to be “someone other than this” (116). Her thoughts are interrupted by Yao, who brings an invitation to a spa treatment directly from Masha.

After dinner, Yao, Masha, and Delilah discuss the guests’ progress. As they talk, Yao watches Masha. He cares deeply for her, crediting her with saving his live, but he denies being in love with her. When Masha gave up her corporate career to dedicate herself to a wellness spa, Yao followed her after suffering a “major depressive episode” (120). Masha helped him recover, transforming him into a new person. Now, he tries to do the same for the guests. He sleeps with Delilah occasionally and always thinks about Masha.

On the fourth day of the retreat, Frances is surprised by how easily she has settled into the rhythm of life at Tranquillum House. Her cold symptoms disappear, and she feels more content being silent all the time. Zoe once passed her a chocolate, but other than that her social interactions have been scarce. She attends a one-on-one counselling session with Masha. They discuss Frances’s life, expectations, and desire to change. Masha shares her own experiences, such as the tragic death of her father and her immigration to Australia from Russia. Masha then reveals that the noble silence will end the next day but that a 24-hour fast will begin.

Carmel has a counselling session with Masha. Masha encourages Carmel to act in a more confident manner.

Masha holds a counselling session with Tony. He admits that he feels as though he’s wasted much of his life “moping” (132). When Tony asks about Masha’s near-death experience, she’s reluctant to reveal too much. She already feels that she revealed too much to Frances. She lies to Tony, not telling him that her experience allowed her to see a grown-up version of her deceased son. Her self-improvement and reinvention were done for the young man she saw when she nearly died.

Napoleon enjoys the early morning tai chi sessions. On the fifth day, he takes part in a dawn session. He watches Heather and thinks about her sadness. After Zach’s death, she seems “broken.” He’s always tried to protect the fragile personality that lurks beneath Heather’s tough exterior, but he can’t seem to heal her grief. As the anniversary of Zach’s death approaches, he’s becoming more anxious. Napoleon blames the noble silence. He still remembers the day of Zach’s death and he blames himself for not saving his son. Zach died by suicide and left no note to explain his decision. He hanged himself with a belt, a Christmas gift from Heather. In the wake of Zach’s death, Napoleon resolved to “not break” so that he could support his wife, but the death created a vast gulf between them. As the tai chi session draws to a close, Napoleon feels his tears on his face.

Zoe notices her father’s tears. Like him, she still remembers her mother’s scream when Heather found Zach’s body. Zoe is surprised by the physicality of grief. She still resents her brother for inflicting this grief on her parents.

Heather doesn’t notice Napoleon’s tears. Instead, she remembers an incident from the previous week. Heather is a midwife, and, toward the end of a shift, she ran into the mother of one of Zach’s friends at the hospital. She unexpectedly exploded with anger at the woman and her son, both of whom apologized to her. Once again, Heather believes, she’d “turned the anger that should have been directed only at herself on someone else” (143).

Frances takes part in the fast and looks forward to breaking the noble silence. She’s summoned to the meditation room, where candles and camp beds are laid out. Masha, Yao, Delilah, and the guests sit on the floor. The guests break the silence by introducing themselves to the group as they sip smoothies. Masha occasionally intervenes to keep the conversation on track, such as when Napoleon excitedly reveals that Tony is a famous legend of an Australian Rules football team. When Zoe talks freely about Zach’s death by suicide, Heather interrupts. She suspects that the smoothies contain some sort of medicine.

Masha regains control of her emotions after Zoe’s frank discussion of Zach’s death by suicide. She tries to avoid Heather’s accusation, but Heather becomes angry.

Lars listens with amusement as Masha admits to “micro-dosing” (153) the guests with the hallucinogenic drug LSD. Masha defends herself from the guests’ anger and confusion, claiming that they’ve been brainwashed by the government. The guests’ smoothies have been dosed with LSD all week, she explains, but their latest smoothie also contains “magic mushrooms” (155). Lars is delighted, though the other guests are angry and confused. As the drugs begin to take hold, the guests are encouraged to lay on the camp beds. Masks are placed over their eyes and headphones over their ears. As he lays down, Lars thinks about his life spent “eviscerating wealthy men who left their wives” (158) as his own way to get revenge against his father. He hallucinates a younger version of himself, trying to show him something.

Zoe watches her parents argue with the spa staff. As the drugs take effect, she talks to Zach’s voice in her head.