Perfectly Fantastic Book (Perfect Match - Jodi Picoult)

Member Name: belfin

Product:	Perfect Match - Jodi Picoult
Date:	14/01/07 (648 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Difficult subject handled exceptionally well

Disadvantages: None

Since reading My Sister's Keeper I have made a point of trying to get my hands on anything I can by Jodi Picoult. Her books have kept me enthralled each time I have picked one up and this one is no exception.

***The Background***

Jodi Picoult, to date, has written 13 novels beginning with her first, way back in 1992 entitled Songs from the Humpback Whale. From then on she has continued to write best selling novels as well as raising three children and her experiences of love and as a parent come though in this thought provoking and often difficult at times to read book, which was published in 2004.

***The Story***

This story is all about Nina Frost, her husband Caleb and her 5-year-old son Nathaniel. Nina is a district attorney who specialises in prosecuting child molesters, something that is very frustrating as she knows that often the child is not strong enough to testify and that without physical evidence, the offender will hardly ever be brought to trial. Imagine her horror when she discovers one day that her own son has been abused and can't tell her who did it.

What follows is a desperate attempt to find the culprit and punish them but Nina decides to take matters into her own hands and ends up being the one on trial. Will she be found guilty of murder or will her excellent defence attorney be able to convince a jury that she was temporarily insane at the point of the killing? That's for you to find out when you read this amazing book.

***The Characters***

Nina Frost - She can't bear the thought of her son having to go through the difficulty of a trial only to see the man go free so she takes the unusual step of killing him in cold blood. Through the book we see her reasons for doing this be explained and her horror at the thought that she may end up losing her husband and son if she is convicted.

Caleb Frost - He can't believe his wife would put him through this. Not only does he feel that she has betrayed him but he feels that she has been selfish in her actions by not telling him what she was planning. He struggles to keep his feelings under wraps and can't cope with the thought that she may be locked up for the rest of his son's childhood.

Nathaniel Frost - He is a scared and lonely little boy whose trauma only comes to the surface when he is disruptive at school and refuses to speak to anyone. As he is too young to read and write, he is taught sign language and through this is able to give the name of his abuser. He is a brave little boy but is very troubled, not only by the abuse, but also by the troubles that his mother and father are having.

***My Thoughts***

This was a very difficult book to read as I have a four-year-old son and the thought of anyone abusing him makes me sick to the stomach. That being said, it was a book that I still wanted to finish, despite being very upset as I was reading it. I felt a lot of the anger that Nina felt and I have to say that if I was given the chance, that there is a good possibility that I may have done the same thing, if it meant saving my child from having to relive the horror of abuse in a courthouse. I probably wouldn't have thought about the consequences of my actions either.

Of course, Jodi Picoult is excellent at making things a bit more complicated as her books progress and nothing is ever that straightforward. There are quite a few twists and turns in the book that I don't want to mention in too much detail as I feel it would spoil it for the reader but there is a question as to whether or not the correct man was arrested and this sends Nina into another round of emotional turmoil, for killing the man she thought was responsible as well as the thought the real abuser may still be out there harming other children.

As the book goes on we gradually find out the real truth and there are a couple of other characters that have smaller parts but are essential to the storyline. Dr Robichaud, the psychiatrist and Monica LaFlamme, the social worker assigned to help were both characters that were introduced slowly but developed into people who became more than just the useless professionals that Nina expects them to be.

Patrick is also an important character, as he is the only one that Nina can turn to for support when her husband turns his back on her. An old friend who has always had feelings for her, he gives her the strength to get through her ordeal. The relationship between them is touching and I felt that this was just what Nina needed at a time when she feels that no one else cares.

The way this book is written is amazing with views from Nina written in first person and the rest written in third person. There is also a small section at the start of each chapter where we get some thoughts from Nathaniel and this helps us to understand what it is that he is feeling and has gone through. These thoughts are the only way he has to communicate to us.

I don't think I have felt so much anger and sadness reading a book before and this is probably due to the fact that my son is of a similar age to Nathaniel and I could relate to all the motherly feelings that Nina felt. It was also a book that made me think about the safety of my own son and how easily it could be for a person that was supposed to be a trusted member of society, to get access to him.

This book is a wonderful read, despite being a painfully difficult read at times. The ending is very well done with a surprising revelation in the final few pages. Yet again Jodi Picoult has come through with an amazing novel about a very difficult subject.

***Price and Availability***

The price on the cover of this hardback is £12.99 although you can buy it from Tesco for only £9.09. It is also available in paperback form at the publishing price of £6.99 but it is also available at the cheaper price of £3.94 from Tesco.

Hardback ISBN No. 0340897201
Paperback ISBN No. 0340897228

Summary: You won't be able to put it down til the last page is read.