Perfect Match
by Jodi Picoult
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Jodi Picoult is a author whose books have been adapted for both the small and silver screen. In Perfect Match, she spins a story of a mother who does the unthinkable to protect her child. Lines blur when assistant DA Nina Frost learns that her five-year-old son Nathaniel was sexually abused by a priest. She takes the law into her own hands, killing the man accused. But then details surface clearing the priest and putting Nina's future in jeopardy.Tags
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As a mom and grandmother the subject of Perfect Match is frightening and disturbing. But I doubt I could ever do what Nina did especially so early in the legal process.
Picoult's novels are full of family drama; and many twists and turns. Perfect Match is no exception. But I sometimes feel that her books are a little too perfect; like a woman wearing too much make-up.
I thought the ending was pat and obvious, and the surprise twist didn't make sense based on the character's behavior for a good part of the book.
Picoult's novels are full of family drama; and many twists and turns. Perfect Match is no exception. But I sometimes feel that her books are a little too perfect; like a woman wearing too much make-up.
I thought the ending was pat and obvious, and the surprise twist didn't make sense based on the character's behavior for a good part of the book.
I was really disappointed in this novel. It had all the right ingredients and Picoult's signature style, but the very foundation of the novel is weak, amoral and fastidious. Nina is an unlikable hot-head and she absolutely did not kindle my sympathy, too focused on hatred, guilt and anger. She claims to love her son and repeatedly neglects his well-being, refusing to see the world other than through her lawyer's eyes.
The ending is predictable, uninspiring and unethical. I had become used to much better from this author.
The ending is predictable, uninspiring and unethical. I had become used to much better from this author.
Workaholic, Assistant DA Nina Frost knows first hand the frustrations of trying to get a conviction in a child molestation case. When it is her son at the center of a case, she takes matters into her own hands. In her words, "I did what I had to do". The novel is an examination of what can drive a person to step over the line to protect his/her family and can it be justified. It was filled with the many twists of plot for which Picoult is famous. And though the plot was dark and troubling, it requires the readers to examine their own heart and think about what they would do in the same situation.
Perfect Match was a lot harder to stomach than Mercy or, even, Nineteen Minutes. Twice it reduced me to tears and I had to close the book in order to regain my composure. The book deals with the heart wrenching effects of child molestation at the hands of priests. Not only that but Nathaniel’s mother, Nina, kills Father Glen, the man everyone is convinced did it.
Picoult also throws in another left field factoid that caught me by surprise, although not an entirely left field conclusion like Nineteen Minutes and My Sister’s Keeper.
I tagged over 20 quotes I liked but here’s just a sampling:
“Life, it turns out, goes on. There is no cosmic rule that grants you immunity for the details just you have come face-to-face with a show more catastrophe. The garbage cans till overflow, the bills arrive in the mail, telemarketers interrupt dinner.” {pg. 75}
“But unfortunately, the legal system doesn’t work for people who can’t respond within its framework.” {pg. 97}
“A level of a house, his father told him, is called a story. Nathaniel likes that. It makes him feel like maybe he is living between the covers of a book himself. Like maybe everyone in every home is sure to get a happy ending.” {pg. 349} show less
Picoult also throws in another left field factoid that caught me by surprise, although not an entirely left field conclusion like Nineteen Minutes and My Sister’s Keeper.
I tagged over 20 quotes I liked but here’s just a sampling:
“Life, it turns out, goes on. There is no cosmic rule that grants you immunity for the details just you have come face-to-face with a show more catastrophe. The garbage cans till overflow, the bills arrive in the mail, telemarketers interrupt dinner.” {pg. 75}
“But unfortunately, the legal system doesn’t work for people who can’t respond within its framework.” {pg. 97}
“A level of a house, his father told him, is called a story. Nathaniel likes that. It makes him feel like maybe he is living between the covers of a book himself. Like maybe everyone in every home is sure to get a happy ending.” {pg. 349} show less
Workaholic, Assistant DA Nina Frost knows first hand the frustrations of trying to get a conviction in a child molestation case. When it is her son at the center of a case, she takes matters into her own hands. In her words, "I did what I had to do". The novel is an examination of what can drive a person to step over the line to protect his/her family and can it be justified. It was filled with the many twists of plot for which Picoult is famous. And though the plot was dark and troubling, it requires the readers to examine their own heart and think about what they would do in the same situation.
This is a review I wrote in 2007:
If you're already a Picoult fan, you won't be disappointed here. There's her usual great writing style, drawing you in as a reader, right from the start and getting you hooked and emotionally involved from the very beginning. This is another heart-wrenching story, exploring dangerous moral and legal ground, and it's impossible to leave the book alone until you know how the story ends. However, I've only rated this one 4 stars because I get the impression with this one that the author herself has got so caught up in the emotions of her characters that maybe the book doesn't quite end how the story would end in real life. It's a small niggle but I'd have preferred to see the book end in a more realistic show more way. That said, still worth reading!
Nina Frost, assistant district attorney, is married to Caleb (he works in construction) and between them they have a delightful five-year-old son, Nathaniel. They are a happy family & their lives seem content and rounded in every way, both parents sharing roles in Nathaniel's life. Nina's job is harrowing. Every day she is involved in prosecuting people involved in child molestation. She sees first hand the trauma and devastation that families experience as she, the prosecutor, tries to have someone locked up and put away for the crime, and she also knows how difficult it can be to secure a conviction....
All this knowledge makes it all the more difficult to deal with when she and her husband discover that their happy-go-lucky son, Nathaniel, has been sexually abused.
This can be at times a harrowing read, but also plausible in the main. Full of suspense, heightened emotion and difficult moral choices, watch as the case unravels & I'm sure you won't be able to put it down until you've finished the last page. show less
If you're already a Picoult fan, you won't be disappointed here. There's her usual great writing style, drawing you in as a reader, right from the start and getting you hooked and emotionally involved from the very beginning. This is another heart-wrenching story, exploring dangerous moral and legal ground, and it's impossible to leave the book alone until you know how the story ends. However, I've only rated this one 4 stars because I get the impression with this one that the author herself has got so caught up in the emotions of her characters that maybe the book doesn't quite end how the story would end in real life. It's a small niggle but I'd have preferred to see the book end in a more realistic show more way. That said, still worth reading!
Nina Frost, assistant district attorney, is married to Caleb (he works in construction) and between them they have a delightful five-year-old son, Nathaniel. They are a happy family & their lives seem content and rounded in every way, both parents sharing roles in Nathaniel's life. Nina's job is harrowing. Every day she is involved in prosecuting people involved in child molestation. She sees first hand the trauma and devastation that families experience as she, the prosecutor, tries to have someone locked up and put away for the crime, and she also knows how difficult it can be to secure a conviction....
All this knowledge makes it all the more difficult to deal with when she and her husband discover that their happy-go-lucky son, Nathaniel, has been sexually abused.
This can be at times a harrowing read, but also plausible in the main. Full of suspense, heightened emotion and difficult moral choices, watch as the case unravels & I'm sure you won't be able to put it down until you've finished the last page. show less
3.75 stars
Nina is a lawyer, a prosecutor who usually takes on child sexual abuse cases. She is horrified (this happens very early in the book, so not a spoiler) when her 5-year old son, Nathanial, stops talking and she learns that he was molested. She knows how traumatic it is for kids to have to testify to put their molester away and if they are convicted, they aren’t in jail for nearly long enough.
This drew me in right away with the intro/set up, but I didn’t like the ending (I took ¼ star off for the end). I didn’t like many of the things Nina did/didn’t agree with her logic for some of it; I did, for the most part, agree with her husband Caleb and how he saw things. I learned something new about DNA that I found that very show more interesting. There were a few twists, and I did figure a couple of them out ahead of time (but not all). show less
Nina is a lawyer, a prosecutor who usually takes on child sexual abuse cases. She is horrified (this happens very early in the book, so not a spoiler) when her 5-year old son, Nathanial, stops talking and she learns that he was molested. She knows how traumatic it is for kids to have to testify to put their molester away and if they are convicted, they aren’t in jail for nearly long enough.
This drew me in right away with the intro/set up, but I didn’t like the ending (I took ¼ star off for the end). I didn’t like many of the things Nina did/didn’t agree with her logic for some of it; I did, for the most part, agree with her husband Caleb and how he saw things. I learned something new about DNA that I found that very show more interesting. There were a few twists, and I did figure a couple of them out ahead of time (but not all). show less
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Author Information
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Jodi Picoult was born in Nesconset, New York on May 19, 1966. She received a degree in creative writing from Princeton University in 1987 and a master's degree in education from Harvard University. She published two short stories in Seventeen magazine while still in college. Immediately after graduation, she landed a variety of jobs, ranging from show more editing textbooks to teaching eighth-grade English. Her first book, Songs of the Humpback Whale, was published in 1992. Her other works include Picture Perfect, Mercy, The Pact, Salem Falls, The Tenth Circle, Nineteen Minutes, Change of Heart, Handle with Care, House Rules, Sing You Home, Lone Wolf, Leaving Time, and Small Great Things. My Sister's Keeper was made into a movie starring Cameron Diaz. She received the New England Bookseller Award for fiction in 2003. She also wrote five issues of the Wonder Woman comic book series for DC Comics. She writes young adult novels with her daughter Samantha van Leer including Between the Lines and Off the Page. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- De kleine getuige
- Original title
- Perfect Match
- Original publication date
- 2002
- People/Characters
- Patrick DuCharme; Nina Frost; Caleb Frost; Nathaniel Frost; Frankie Martine; Quentin Brown (show all 13); Fisher Carrington; Father Gwyne; Father Glen Szyszynski; Evan Chao; Monica LaFlamme; Christie Robichaud; Amelia Underwood
- Important places
- Maine, USA; Biddeford, Maine, USA
- Epigraph*
- Een moeder neemt het recht in eigen handen - maar tot welke prijs?
- Dedication
- To Jake, The bravest boy I know. Love, Mom
- First words
- When the monster finally came through the door, he was wearing a mask.
- Quotations*
- DEEL I
Wanneer we zonder reden worden geslagen, zouden we hard moeten terugslaan, heel hard, om degene die ons geslagen heeft te leren zoiets nooit nóg een keer te doen.
Charlotte Brönte, Jane Eyre
DEEL II
Eens in twijfel staan
Is eens vastbesloten zijn.
Shakespeare, Othello
DEEL III
Onze deugden zijn meestal slecht vermomde ondeugden.
François, Duc de la Rochefoucauld - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)She laughs, and before I know it I am laughing back, which must mean I'm going to ok after all.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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