No one's life is perfect, no matter how hard they try to make it so, although some do succeed in making their lives look perfect from the outside. Former college roommates and long-time friends Jenny, Laura, and Elise all seem to be doing quite well. Laura has a successful husband and is a stay-at-home mom to their two young daughters; Jenny has a thriving career, a new baby boy, and a pending move to the suburbs; and Elise is engaged with her scientific research and her own family.Jenny's baby was conceived with donor sperm, due to her husband's infertility, from a chosen donor - their old college friend Neil, an ex-boyfriend of hers whose life has gone adrift since he abandoned his doctoral dissertation. Elise's twin boys had similar origins, but from a different source, and are the biological children of her partner Chrissy. Chrissy is seeking out her children's biological half-siblings from the donor, and Elise, a biologist, is conflicted over her efforts. Meanwhile, Neil has chosen to violate the agreement that he made with Jenny - that he'd have no contact with any child produced from his donation - and has secretly returned to Boston.One of the central themes in Perfect Life is played out through those storylines - what defines a parent? How much of a role does biology play, and without a biological connection, can parent and child be truly bonded? What about when biology is the only connection? Does a person have to have a family to have a happy, "perfect" life...and is that happiness deserved? What might people be willing to do to get the happiness they deserve?There are some good questions here, and Jessica Shattuck's exploration of them kept me reading, but ultimately I felt that it fell short. I thought the material was good, but it seemed underdeveloped, and that was a bit disappointing. There were quite a few good scenes, but others really didn't seem to lead anywhere. The characters didn't feel fully fleshed out. I think Laura came the closest, and also found her the most likable; but considering how much of the story revolves around Jenny, I didn't think I really knew her well enough. "Sketchy" was the word that came to mind; the novel was like a series of related sketches, and I wish it had been more filled in, filled out, and connected. Perfect Life isn't quite a perfect novel, though - I think it doesn't quite live up to its potential. Having said that, I do think there's a lot of good discussion material here for a book group, and I'd read other novels by Jessica Shattuck. Oh Man! I took forever to read this book. Not so much becasue it was bad, but because I just couldn't find the time to read. I felt lucky if I found 10 minutes a day to read.That being said, I think the first half of the book was kinda confusing. I didn't realize the connection of the characters at first. I really did think that they were just a bunch of random people who may or may not have a connection. But I don't think that was the author's fault, I think it was because I wasn't reading as consistently as I normally do, and wasn't paying close attention to what was going on.I didn't find the characters all that relateable or all that likeable. I didn't really connect with them. The reason I am giving the book 3 stars though is what I got out of it. What is the Perfect life? Does it mean that you have the perfect family? The perfect job? The perfect friends? What is perfection? The book, once I got into the groove of reading, made me realize that my life isn't necessarily what I thought it would be, but it is my life and it is up to me to make it the way I want it to be. If I don't like it, then what am I doing to change it.
What do You think about Perfect Life: A Novel (2009)?
Slightly unrealistic plot, but a fast read. Melodramatic, but not overly so.
—lizardwarrior09
