Rachel Joyce is a British writer of contemporary fiction. Her characters have such depth of feeling they seem real, as if they are in the room with you. The details she employs to show their moods and thoughts add to the story in a subtle yet impactful way. In Perfect, young Byron watches his beautiful mother fall into the depths of depression and despair that started with an accident he believes to be his fault. Throughout the story, he tries his best to save her, but he is helpless as she stops cleaning the house, forgets to bathe the little sister, and begins sleeping outside. The author uses a dual timeline but keeps the connection between the past and present hidden until very close to the end, and in a surprising twist, the readers finally understand. The reader will feel heart ache for these characters, wanting them to triumph, and wanting the stronger characters to rescue the weaker ones. While not an action-packed story, Perfect dives deep into character development, examines what it means to be a friend, and questions what is true.