LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD
“Perfect radiates its own natural, understated foreboding, and even its title contributes to the sense of dread. . . . The importance of the extra two seconds is carefully withheld until the novel’s end so that Perfect can consider what role the power of destiny has played in this story. Of all the secrets that emerge late in this touching, eccentric book, that is the most confounding one of all.”
—The New York Times
“[Joyce] triumphantly returns with Perfect. . . . As Joyce probes the souls of Diana, Byron and Jim, she reveals—slowly and deliberately, as if peeling back a delicate onion skin—the connection between the two stories, creating a poignant, searching tale.”
—O: The Oprah Magazine
“A tender second novel by the author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry . . . the power of Joyce’s prose lies in small, astute observations . . . these subtle touches give the book an intense, slightly mesmeric feel. . . . Tense and engrossing.”
—Sunday Times
“Diana herself is faultless. She is to Perfect what Harold Fry was to [The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry]: a fully rounded hero, someone to fall in love with and argue about, cherish and admonish, as though she were real. . . . If only there were more novelists like Rachel Joyce.”
—Telegraph
“This book is hard in every sense. . . . But persevere and plough on alongside Byron (who you’ll find you want to stay with, as if by continuing to read him you might be able to protect him somehow, or at least keep him company), and the reward is a redemptive ending of such tenderness that after 300-odd pages of darkness you will end up grinning dippily and recommending this wild, searching book to everyone you know.”
—The Times
“A near flawless novel of emotional truth.”
—Evening Standard
“The author of last year’s biggest selling debut The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry returns with a very different but equally captivating novel. . . . This is a heartbreaking story, full of compassion, that unfolds gently but relentlessly against the backdrop of the suburban ’70s. Perfect confirms [Rachel Joyce] as a major new voice.”
—The Bookseller
“Brilliantly realized . . . a powerful study of grief, loss, guilt, depression, mental illness—and ultimately the power of love—which grips the reader on every page.”
—Daily Mail
“Haunting . . . compelling.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Perfect is the kind of book that blossoms under thoughtful examination, its slow tendencies redeemed by moments of loveliness and insight. However sad, Joyce’s messages—about the limitations of time and control, the failures of adults and the fears of children, and our responsibility for our own imprisonment and freedom—have a gentle ring of truth to them.”
—The Washington Post
“There is a poignancy to Joyce’s narrative that makes for her most memorable writing.”
—NPR’s All Things Considered
“Beautifully written . . . Joyce showed an incredible sensitivity and understanding when she wrote about the impact of mental illness in Harold Fry, and that talent shines even brighter now that she’s devoting more space to the subject. . . . Joyce is great at building tension, with her prose managing to give huge weight to a menacing comment or a small mistake.”
—The A.V. Club
“Perfect is a poignant and powerful book, rich with empathy and charged with beautiful, atmospheric writing.”
—Tana French, author of In the Woods and Broken Harbor
“Joyce, showing the same talent for adroit plot development seen in the bestselling The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, brings both narrative strands together in a shocking, redemptive denouement.”
—Publishers Weekly
