Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

(389 pages)




(Amazon.co.uk Review)
From the first few words of her latest novel, Jodi Picoult grips her reader so firmly it would be madness to struggle. And from then on, it’s such a roller-coaster ride that it’s as much as you can do to put it down before you’ve reached the very last word.
After years of dealing with abused children and their families and working her damnedest to bring the perpetrators to justice, assistant district attorney Nina Frost takes a while to recognise the signs of abuse in her only child. When five-year-old Nathanial stops speaking and finally, through sign language, identifies his abuser, Nina takes the law into her own hands. And so begins a fast and furious tale of twists and turns--just when you think you’ve got it covered, you move at right-angles and a new reality emerges.
Perfect Match delivers what Picoult fans would expect--intelligent, polished writing that feels so real and natural you might forget it’s fiction. Once again, she covers the familiar themes of love--here specifically parent and partner relationships--and what happens to ordinary people when the extraordinary turns their world upside-down. Her research is as impeccable as ever--Nina is believable as a DA and the court-room scenes feel like the real thing. The everyday details of modern family life are set against the life-shattering events that ordinary people come to believe they are immune from as Picoult explores the boundaries of decency, bravery and betrayal and the consequences of believing, if only for a split second, that you and your family deserve more.

As an avid Picoult fan I am trying to work my way through all her books. This has to be one of the most gripping ones that I have read, as there are so many different types of characters. Whlst you are supposed to be rooting for Nina, she is an easily dislikeable person,l and my sympathey was transferred to different people throughout the story.
It has been written in such a rich way, that it was almost impossible to put down. Whilst the ending was extremely neat, I didn't see the customary twist happening in the way it actually did. I was very impressed with the sensitivity in which she managed to handle such disturbing subject matter. She certainly did a good job of making you think about what you would do in a similar situation, Yet again my love of Picoult has grown. Fantastic :)