Book review! Three Wishes: A Novel

Three Wishes: A Novel by Laine Moriarty ~~

I completely adored this book. In Sydney, Australia, three sisters wind their way through very different personal lives, despite being triplets. Balancing on the line of being wildly different yet comfortingly similar, Lane Moriarty crafts heartwarming and lovable, identifiable, friends in their early 30s. Each of the girls has their own strong personality and character challenge that makes them lovely and easy to imagine sitting across the table from you at dinner. Lynn is the uber-organized one that has her plan and sticks to it. Gemma is the flighty one that doesn't hold a job or even have a steady place to live. And Cat is the successful middle of the road character, a little rougher than the others but confident in herself, her job, and her relationships. When Cat's husband admits to a one night stand, the girls' worlds sway with the shock, each trying to cope with the ripples in their close-knit family while simultaneously dealing with their own challenges. When the other woman turns out to be closer to the family than initially realized, the girls precariously try to balance the best interest of everyone.

The author skillfully crafts the distinct characters of the three girls, complete with clear individual challenges and character arcs. I could identify with bits of each sister, in both what I am and what I think I might like to be when I daydream. Moriarty does a fantastic job with the interpersonal dynamics of a trio as well, covering the ups, downs, joys, and frustrations that I'm sure would come with being a triplet. I don't even have one sister, though, so the whole sibling camaraderie between sisters is foreign to me. This story makes it seem like it would be fantastic, though at times horrific, in an utterly beautiful kind of way. But the best things are never easy, and the author does a brilliant job of bringing each of the girls, and a trio as a whole, through trials and tribulations that ultimately come out for the best in the end.

It all comes to a head at the girls' thirty-fourth birthday dinner, where the three of them gather to celebrate together. With three cakes, letters from their childhood selves, and even with a fondue fork sticking out of one's pregnant belly, the Kettle triplets are able to pull together yet again and find a way for each of them to have their own happy ending - - though they may not look at all like what they had once thought.

I would recommend this book in a heartbeat for anyone that wants a light, women's fiction read. It would fit well into a summer beach bag!

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