The Perfect Match Author:Jodi Picoult What does it mean to be a good mother? For career-driven assistant district attorney Nina Frost, the question inspires pangs of guilt familiar to all parents torn by the demands of home and office. But whereas most parents lie awake at night vividly conjuring the worst scenarios that could befall their children in their absence, Nina live... more »s the reality of such crises -- and it's her job to do something about them. Nina Frost prosecutes child molesters -- and in the course of her everyday work, she has endured the frustration of seeing too many criminals slip through the system and walk free. A man as methodical and careful as his wife is instinctive and mercurial, Caleb Frost is a stonemason who glories in his ability to construct with his own hands the physical barriers that will keep out the unwanted -- and protect all that is precious within. But even the strongest walls cannot guard Nina and Caleb from the shattering discovery that their own beloved son has been sexually abused. Five-year-old Nathaniel is the only one who knows the identity of his assailant -- but in the initial fallout of his trauma, he's been left mute, unable to speak a single word. Knowing the futility of trusting the courts to exact justice for Nathaniel, and ripped apart by a maddening sense of helplessness, Nina finds herself in a grip of rage she can't deny -- no matter the consequence, whatever the sacrifice. What does it take to be a good mother? How far can a person go...and still live with herself? What happens if one's absolute truths and convictions are turned upside down? Forging new ground in her unique territory of morally complex suspense fiction, bestselling author Jodi Picoult delivers her most soulful and intimate novel to date -- and portrays what happens to a family when a wheel comes off, when the domestic unit begins to careen and veer, when the vestments of ordinary life are forfeited to unspeakable horrors. From its provocative opening to the astonishing and revelatory finale, Perfect Match enters the raw and private realm of a parent's heart, and ultimately questions our assumptions about family, security, and love.« less
This book was so powerful. Jodi Picoult has the power to evoke so many feelings relating to her stories. Throughout reading this, I found myself angry, heart-broken and relieved at different moments. This book had me questioning what I would do in the same situation. It is amazing how accurate she is able to capture the human condition and how one event can create a domino effect into the rest of your life. A very good read. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a book that will provoke you to question your own ethical dilemmas.
The pace of "Perfect Match" was good, and the narrative structure interesting and useful as a way to share the perspectives of the family members dealing with the great horror and sadness of the abuse. I found the characters believable and although many people wouldn't agree with Nina taking the law into her own hands, this is what made this such a good book. A little predictable in the beginning, but just when I thought I had it figured out, Picoult proved me wrong! The various surprises sprinkled throughout the book add to its depth and mystery.
I stopped reading very early on. The subject matter is just too much. I love Jodi Piccoult books and thought I would like this one as I have all the others, child sexual abuse stories are not stories to be read for leisure and I read for pleasure, this just could not be considered that. If you can handle this subject matter then I am sure you will like it.
This book deals with the emotional and ethical issues of child molestation and how one family dealt with this. What a great book. I recently found this author and plan to read each of her books.
One of my favorites from my favorite author. A story about one of every parent's nightmare, and of how tragedy can effect every other relationship. Couldn't put it down.
I thought that this was a great read that I had a hard time putting down. The plot twists in ways that I didn't expect, all the way to the end of the book, and the characters were definitely the kind that you could relate to and understand. My only complaints is that it does get a little annoying that this author has so many stories with mothers being portrayed as a bit crazed and selfish and that in a time of crisis her marriage becomes at risk with someone moving out of the home. Other than that, I'm totally addicted to this author's stories and this one was no exception.
Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors - but this was not one of her best - for me. It was a slower moving story with not as many twists and turns as usual. The end does have a great twist that I was not expecting. Overall, just a so-so read.
I thought that this was a great read that I had a hard time putting down. The plot twists in ways that I didn't expect, all the way to the end of the book, and the characters were definitely the kind that you could relate to and understand. My only complaints is that it does get a little annoying that this author has so many stories with mothers being portrayed as a bit crazed and selfish and that in a time of crisis her marriage becomes at risk with someone moving out of the home. Other than that, I'm totally addicted to this author's stories and this one was no exception.
This is the third Picoult book I've read. The first was "Small Great Things," bought at a garage sale and which I gave three stars; next was "Lone Wolf," which I got off a thrift store free rack and gave two stars. I bought "Perfect Match" at a thrift store closing sale. Picoult is a good writer but she is NOT a good storyteller. Nina, the protagonist, was a completely unlikeable character. I hadn't even gotten to the "incident" part and had already decided I disliked Nina--she seemed completely self-absorbed. In fact, I found myself getting angry because Nina was such an arrogant self-centered person. I stayed angry to the bitter end. The only reason I finished the book was because I was expecting there would be some redemption in the book (there wasn't).
Husband Caleb initially seemed to be a decent guy (and the better parent) but after a while he came across as a sap. Then there's Patrick, Nina's childhood friend who has carried a torch for her all along. I never "got" what was so dazzling about Nina that her husband was so besotted with her that he didn't object to her close friendship with Patrick; and that Patrick was so besotted with Nina that he was okay being on the periphery of Nina's life. Late in the book Patrick referred to Nina as a "goddess." To me she came across as a narcissist.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS: When Nathaniel's abuse is discovered and he quits talking, Nina decides to teach him sign language so he can still communicate. If I remember right, it took just one afternoon with a sign language book for Nina and Nathan to communicate pretty decently. I took ASL about 30 years ago in a community ed class and I don't remember it being that quick and easy. Then when Nathan signs "father" in response to who hurt him, Nina and the shrink immediately assume it's Caleb so Nina throws Caleb out of the house. I would not take the first word of a child, particularly one who had just learned some signs, that he meant that his dad had hurt him. I would do a lot more probing and, I would suspect that a reputable shrink, counselor, etc. would do the same. Anyone remember the child sex abuse scandals of the 1980s (https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-fueled-the-child-sex-abuse-scandal-that-never-was)? Lives were ruined by unfounded allegations based on the assumption that children don't lie. While Nathan wasn't lying, he was also not clearly communicating what he meant.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS CONTINUED: When the parish priest is subsequently accused, Nina shoots him in the head at his arraignment and then does/says various things so she can claim insanity and get off. Although the initial DNA test identifies the priest as the perp, it later turns out that it wasn't him which was confirmed by additional DNA testing. When Nina learns this, she still feels she should be found not guilty. As her trial progressed, it seemed that Nina's conscience was getting to her and she was going to take responsibility for her misguided act. I expected that she would ask for a plea deal and would serve time. Nope. She decided she wanted to change to a bench trial even though the jury was deliberating. The judge decided she was justified in the shooting (never mind that she shot an INNOCENT man) and she didn't have to serve any additional time. I'm an attorney (although I have never done criminal defense or prosecution) and I was shocked that Nina would get off scot-free. Chances of that happening in the real world are very slim.
END OF SPOILERS
I also found it hard to believe that Patrick, who was a police officer, would be allowed to work on an investigation that involved Nina's family. That certainly would be a conflict of interest. The personal life of Quentin Brown, the special prosecutor, added nothing to the story. I also thought the title of the book was odd--wasn't sure how it fit with the story. Then after the final twist, which appears in the last two pages of the book, is revealed, I figured that "Perfect Match" must refer to Nina and Caleb, who are perfect for each other because of what each did to "protect" Nathan.
I think what Nina and Caleb did to "protect" Nathan would be far more damaging (in the long run) for Nathan than the incident that set everything in motion.
I have another Picoult book ("Sing You Home") which I got from a Little Free Library a while back. If that book is of the same "quality" as the ones I've read thus far, I probably won't be reading any more of Picoult's books.
Once I managed to get past the subject matter, its an excellent story. It's also an excellent lesson in working through every piece of a situation. VERY tough to read--especially if you have a child. But worth the ending...
Another great story from Jodi Picoult with her usual twists and turns, intense situations, and ambiguity that prevents you from looking at a situation strictly in black and white.
For the most part, I enjoyed this. The only thing that I really did not like was (and this applies to Salem Falls, too) how sometimes the story seemed to bend to the point of almost unbelief in order to make the plot happen. The court scenes and the judge sometimes taking the defendant's side were at times very unrealistic to me.
All in all, still a good story that I enjoyed reading from start to finish, but perhaps not my favorite by this author by any means.
EXCELLENT!!! As usual, Picoult makes her characters easy to relate to, even when they are committing a horrible crime. I love how her books make you think. I didnt see the ending coming on this one! LOVED it.
