These beasts move among us, and we are none the wiser (Perfect Match - Jodi Picoult)

Member Name: missixty

Product:	Perfect Match - Jodi Picoult
Date:	02/01/08 (175 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gripping read, excellently wrote, deals with subject well

Disadvantages: Can be hard to read due to the subject nature

Perfect Match is one of the best, yet one of the hardest books I have ever read. It is definitely a difficult read due to its subject matter. As a parent, it's somewhat uncomfortable reading the harsh truths the book details.

One of the things hardest to read, is something that I guess we all know, but don't want to face up to; the fact that child abusers do not come with a sign announcing the fact. The book describes them as "the neighbour next door, watering his forsythia...the stranger who smiled across the elevator...the kind of man who took a toddler's hand to help him cross the street." Of course, deep down we know this, especially; unfortunately, in the world we live in today we are no longer naive about this. There is however something difficult about reading and accepting the fact that if you were to meet a child abuser you would probably be none the wiser.

The main character, Nina Frost knows this more than most, as she is a district attorney and has met many convicted child molesters before and is well aware that they don't come branded announcing their vice, that it is "hidden under a soft, grandfatherly smile; it's tucked in the pocket of a button down shirt." The book states the most frightening fact of all. They look just like anyone and they have wives and girlfriends that they have loved them unaware - which begs the question, if even those closest were none the wiser then what chance in hell do we stand of knowing who is a danger to our child and who isn't.

The book deals with a lot of harsh realities, as a parent it can be very hard to read and to have to accept these things as true. For example, if the worst was to happen and anything did happen to your child, the book teaches us through Nina Frost, that justice for the child is rarely if ever done.

The book starts off going into a lot of detail about how as district attorney that is constantly dealing with cases of child abuse, Nina Frost knows more than most that even on the rare occasion that the child is found competent to stand trial, and that they win the hearing, which is rare since a lot of the case is based on a child's word only, that the child never really wins. She describes one case she won where the defendant spent three years in jail, and the victim spent seven years in therapy; "you can't convince me that a competency hearing itself doesn't traumatize a child. You cannot convince me that even if I win that hearing, somehow the child doesn't".

In order for the reader to understand why Nina may subsequently act as she does the book has to make us feel how she feels, make us see that although justice must be done it never really is and added to the abuse the child has endured, the trial itself will traumatise them, and due to the mother most often being used as a witness, she is not even allowed in the room whilst the child is on the stand, leaving the child with no sense of security at all whilst standing just a few feet away from their abuser.

Added to everything that the child has been through, there is then the fact that for the defence lawyer, it is almost easy to discredit what the child is saying, as it is easier to manipulate what a child is saying and change its meaning.

Before anything happens to Nina's son, although she cares, she can distance herself somewhat to anything that has happened to the people she is working for. She cares and wants to make a difference but knows there is only so much she can do. Her advice initially to one mother whose child has been found incompetent to stand trial is that simply in a few years she could try again and may be found competent. However after hearing the mother's response; "By the time she's older...he will have done it to her a thousand more times", she advises the woman that if it was her, she would take her child and run.

The book also faces the harsh reality that even when tragedy of any kind occurs, the world does not stop and you still have to deal with the every day trivial things.

Nina is the main character, and it has been said that she is somewhat hard to relate to or warm to. I found this to be untrue. I could see exactly where Nina was coming from. Maybe it's a case of as a mother, or even a parent, you can understand that need to protect your child, and to do whatever it takes to do so. The book also deals with the pain and guilt of when you have failed to protect your child.

When Nathaniel breaks his arm as a two year old, Nina goes through the same feeling, that I'm sure all parents have felt at one point or another. Quite simply, I'd give anything, for my child not to be hurting; "The whole time I was thinking that I would gladly break my arm, my heart, myself, if it meant my son wouldn't have to hurt like this." I think the inclusion of this is important because not only does it make anyone as a parent remember a time they've felt that and therefore be able to feel where Nina is coming from, it also draws a comparison - if you feel that bad when your child is hurt, imagine how you would feel if damage had been done that could not be repaired in a matter of weeks like a broken arm.

Nina struggles with the fact that her son still has one hundred percent faith in her that she will keep him safe, when all she can think of is that she didn't protect him from this happening, going through that heart wrenching guilt of, if only I'd been there, if only I'd been watching, I could have prevented this from happening; "This makes me feel sick - that he should choose me to keep him safe, when I have already failed miserably"

Because the book is told through the eyes of someone who has seen both sides of things; the legal and the personal, it balances both sides well. It shows that, as a district attorney, things seem so clear cut, black and white, but once something is personal and has happened to you it is a different thing all together.

It describes the fact that although the legal system is supposed to work, and although outsiders will care to an extent, no amount of legal terms; penetration, molestation etc hold the weight that the sentence "someone raped my son" will hold with that child's parent. It also highlights how even though people are working in her child's best interests, they don't know all the little things that used to make him, all the silly questions and little things he has done, and therefore they can not possibly care enough.

As a reader, we are seeing through Nina's eyes in her chapters, so we do see it how she see's it, and this allows us as the reader the compassion and understanding to see why Nina acts the way she does, be it legally and morally right or wrong.

She also realises how even though she felt she was doing the best she could for children whose cases she's worked on in the past, she knows she hasn't, because once it's her son, it is simply not enough; "I tell the parents I'd do anything to get that monster in jail. I tell the parents that in their shoes I'd do whatever it takes, including putting their child on the stand. But now I'm the parent, and it is my child, and that changes everything."

Nina feels that she hasn't done anything wrong; she see's her actions as saving her son, and that that is what a mother is supposed to do. Therefore, how could whatever she has done be seen as a horrible thing; "Don't judge me, I'd say, until you've seen the view from here. You are only as invincible as your smallest weakness, and those are tiny indeed - the length of a baby's eyelash, the span of a child's hand. Life turns on a dime, and - it turns out - so does one's conscience"

Another hard, but also nice thing to read in the book, was Nathaniel's unfaltering confidence in Nina to protect him. "'Mom . . .Do you always catch the bad guys?'. . .'Not always'. . .'Most of the time?'. . .'Well . . . at least half'. . .'I guess that's good enough to be a superhero' "

As well as the difficult topic of the actual child abuse, and the mother and child coping with that, is the knock on effect on everyone else's life. With everyone going through so much it is bound to put a strain on Nina and Caleb's marriage. The book details how the two cope with the situation so differently, with Caleb being the opposite of Nina and just wanting things to go back to normal; telling Nathaniel off for things he would have told him off for three weeks ago, because he doesn't want to treat him differently just because this has happened, whereas Nina wants to wrap him in cotton wool.

Caleb also has the difficult task of trying to love a woman who he has known every little bit of so deeply, but has changed so much that a stranger may as well have been put in her place. The book follows his struggle with the fact that he no longer knows her at all and the bitter truth that having her around is making life more difficult. The book deals with the difficult notion that you can hate someone and love them at the same time.

Just to add a bit more strain and confusion, there is Patrick, Nina's best friend who has silently loved her since childhood. Caleb has been aware of this, but comforted by the fact that Nina is with him and that it has always been envy, coming from something you want but have never had, in Patrick's eyes, when he sees Caleb and Nina together. With the strain on Caleb and Nina's marriage and Nina's obvious need for some comfort and understanding through everything she's going through, will Patrick get what he's always wanted?

I think this book is best aimed at parents, as I feel as a parent you can relate most to what this book is about, the absolute horror of the worst happening to your child. I do warn you though, although as a parent you will probably understand it best, it will also be hardest for you to read. Expect to cry, a lot. Expect to hold onto your child's hand that bit tighter, as if we didn't need more fear putting into us already.

The writing style is good; it is split into chapters for different characters. Nina's is the only one written in first person, and it shows us exactly how she feels and helps us identify with her. The fact that the other characters also have chapters gives the book a balanced feel and lets us understand why everyone is behaving how they are, rather than just being on one persons 'side' so to speak.

I would say this book is suitable for any adult, so long as they are prepared for how hard it can be to read. I think the book is aimed mainly at parents, as although it may be more difficult for them to read, they can also relate to it that bit more too. That said, I do think any adult could read it, so long as they can cope with the subject matter.

I would say this book is definitely worth reading at least once and is one that I would possibly read again one day, which is saying something as I very rarely do that. It is not however a light easy read so I wouldn't recommend it if you don't like anything to heavy.

Summary: May be too upsetting for some people, but it is a great book