Perfect (Paperback)
Rachel Joyce (author)- In stock
'It is her clever did-I-read-that-right twist at the end that really got to me and had me scrabbling through the chapters, open-mouthed.' Evening Standard
Summer, 1972: In the claustrophobic heat, eleven-year-old Byron and his friend begin 'Operation Perfect', a hapless mission to rescue Byron's mother from impending crisis.
Winter, present day: As frost creeps across the moor, Jim cleans tables in the local cafe, a solitary figure struggling with OCD. His job is a relief from the rituals that govern his nights.
Little would seem to connect them except that two seconds can change everything.
And if your world can be shattered in an instant, can time also put it right?
Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 9780552778107
Number of pages: 448
Weight: 304 g
Dimensions: 198 x 127 x 27 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
The power of Joyce's prose lies in small, astute observations... [her] subtle touches give the book an intense, slightly mesmeric feel. Tense and engrossing... readers who loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will not be disappointed. * Sunday Times *
Joyce's faith in the essential goodness of humanity and her observation of the comedy in the everyday shine through... This is a darker, more complex novel than Joyce's first but readers will find other points of comparison. Not least a twist that few will see coming and will leave you reeling; and a redemptive ending that is perhaps the sweeter given all the pain that goes before. An instant classic, Perfect confirms Rachel Joyce as a major new British literary voice. * Daily Express *
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 *
What's right with it? You'll fall in love with the characters. They're kind, anxious, flawed, funny and wonderful. Also, knowing that the two stories will have to meet builds a wonderful sense of tension. What's wrong with it? Nothing. It's brilliant. Even the fact that Byron is convinced that scientists tried to slip an extra two seconds into time is a wonderful hook for all the decisions he goes on to make. Verdict: Uplifting, engaging, sad and funny. A perfect follow-up to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. * Heat magazine's #1 book to be reading right now (July) *
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“Perfect Perfect”
A total delight for anyone who harks back to those halcyon days when housewives smartened up their A line skirts and pearls in readiness for their husbands’ return from the office. A time when children drank Sunquick... More
“A moving and beautifully told story”
Like many people, I really enjoyed Rachel Joyce's first book, 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry', so was really looking forward to what she would come up with next. I liked 'Perfect' even... More
“Perfect”
I haven't read Rachel Joyce's previous novel which was so well reviewed, and only picked this up because we had been sent a proof copy - I am so glad I did. I was completely hooked and ended up being late to... More
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