Review: Perfect
Gaby Meares
The truth could be true, but not in a definite way. It could be more or less true; and maybe that was the best a human being could hope for."
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was such a perfect delight (excuse the pun), that I approached Perfect with some apprehension. From the first page I was swept away by the parallel story lines, intrigued to see where they would lead. However, I warn you, it does sag a little in the middle, and may have been lifted by some judicious work by an editor.
But, dear reader, please persevere, for the stories of Byron and James, and Jim and Eileen may not be perfect, but they are precious. Joyce has a real talent for developing characters who are irresistible - flawed and imperfect, but often kind and misunderstood, and a little eccentric. As Jim struggles to communicate his tangled feelings to Eileen “He doesn’t know if the words they are using actually mean the things they purport to mean or whether the words have taken on a new significance. They are talking about nothing, after all. And yet these words, these nothings, are all they have, and he wishes there were whole dictionaries of them.” This reminded me of the famous scene in Annie Hall between Allen’s character & Keaton’s, where they talk about nothing in particular, and it is accompanied by subtitles saying what they really want to say. A bit like real life, although we don’t, unfortunately, get subtitles to help us!
There are many moments in this novel which are heartbreakingly sad, but it isn’t maudlin. There are also some very funny moments to temper the sadness - again, a bit like real life!
If you loved Harold Fry, and think you’ll enjoy Perfect too, and fall in love with Byron and Jim.
PS. Rachel Joyce’s descriptions of the landscape and changing seasons are delightful. I wonder if she paints in her spare time? Because she paints these landscapes with her words.