Perfect is a novel by Rachel Joyce that explores the impact of a single moment on the lives of two children and their families, delving into themes of perfection, anxiety, and the quest for redemption.
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Book Blurb
Summer, 1972: Two seconds have been added to the Atomic clock so as to counteract the irregularities in the Earth’s rate of rotation. Eleven-year-old Byron has been told this but still struggles to understand. What might it mean? In the claustrophobic heat, he 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 café, 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.
If your world can be shattered in an instant, might time also put things right?
About the Author
Rachel Joyce is a British author best known for writing novels, many of which have become international bestsellers. She has also written over twenty original afternoon plays and adaptations of the classics for BBC Radio 4, including all the Bronte novels.
Rachel Joyce books always seem to be received well by both readers and critics. Her debut novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, won several literary awards including:
- The Specsavers National Book Awards New Writer of the Year (2012)
- The Goodreads Choice Awards for Fiction (2012)
- The Desmond Elliott Prize for Debut Fiction (2012)
- The Commonwealth Book Prize for Best First Book (2013)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was also shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book prize and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Rachel Joyce also won The Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award (2017) for The Music Shop.
Rachel Joyce books often explore themes of human connection, love, loss, and the power of ordinary people to make extraordinary changes in their lives.
What to read next
If you enjoy Rachel Joyce’s novels, then I’d recommend reading Miss Benson’s Beetle, a book I really enjoyed. You may also enjoy the Harold Fry series.
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