Perfect

It's not often I don't enjoy a book, but I found this such uncomfortable reading I couldn't square with any of the reviews on the covers. It's really well written and a good story but I don't like being in situations where you know more unresolved discomfort for the characters is ahead, and that was basically for 95% of this book. The story tells two stories: early life and later life . The former describes how an accidental happening led on to disturbed friendships and mental health changes, family disruption and misfortune. The latter tells of someone with OCD and other mental health issues, their treatment by society and struggles. There is hope and reconciliation at the end but it feels like a teaspoon full after the upheaval of the entire rest of the book. I had to sit and finish it in a day once I was over half way through as I didn't like it as a bedtime read.

I enjoyed Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry , especially I think due to hearing it read by Jim Broadbent who did a fantastic job of the narration. Consequently, when Dave downloaded Perfect for our Kindle, I looked forward to the read.

Perfect tells the story of one hot summer and its aftermath from the point of view of Byron Hemmings, a 'posh' boy living with his ornamental mother, his younger sister and, at weekends, his father who returns to his family from The City. I liked Joyce's portrayal of this family, their strained relationships and quiet desperation to maintain appearances at any cost. However, as we see them through Byron's eyes, much of the adult interaction is only revealed via misunderstood eavesdropping. I thought the most interesting character was the mother, Diana, and I would have preferred to follow her instead. I didn't think Byron's childhood friend, James, was realistic and found his pretentiousness irritating. And Beverley started out well, but then went way over the top.

Alternating with Byron's summer, we learn about Jim, a man who has mental health issues resulting in a need to observe repetitive rituals and an inability to easily communicate. Jim is portrayed very sympathetically and I think Joyce created a memorable character here. She manages to be humorous but without laughing at him which is tricky to do.

Unfortunately, I thought the ending did get too schmaltzy and relied on an overly convenient coincidence for a feel-good factor. Overall, I was a bit disappointed, probably due to having had too high expectations. Perfect is a nicely written book with good pace and an original storyline, but too many events were unbelievable and I found this frequently distracted me.