Perfection (2022) is a novel by Vincenzo Latronico. The novel focuses on a young couple, Anna and Tom, who move to Berlin in search of a life of aesthetic ideals and freedom as creative professionals, but who struggle to live with true authenticity and meaning. Perfection addresses The Negative Effects of Social Media on Intimacy, The Problem of Expatriate Exploitation of Local Culture, and The Complexities of Detachment and Authenticity.

The novel was first published in Italy in 2022 as Le perfezioni. The novel began as a tribute to writing exercise based on Things: A Story of the Sixties (1965), by Georges Perec. Latronico is a novelist and translator, who was born in Rome and grew up in Milan before moving to Berlin in his twenties while pursuing a PhD. Sophie Hughes’s English translation was published in 2025. Hughes has translated over 20 novels, and has been nominated for the International Booker Prize for her translations five times. Her translation of Perfection was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2025.

This guide uses the 2022 New York Review Book print edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of child death and sexual content.

Plot Summary

Perfection begins in present tense, with a detailed, room-by-room description of a Berlin apartment. It is modern and well-designed, with beautiful houseplants and design elements. The vivid descriptions are of a series of curated photos used in an online rental listing for the apartment.

The current tenants of the apartment are Anna and Tom, an Italian expatriate couple who are graphic designers living in Berlin. In reality, the apartment doesn’t live up to the aesthetic perfection represented in the photos of it. Anna and Tom work from their apartment, which becomes increasingly cluttered throughout the day. They have a difficult time with desk sharing, and are frustrated by the dust on their houseplants. Anna and Tom clean the apartment daily, then more thoroughly when they are preparing to sublet it.

In Berlin, Anna and Tom have a circle of friends comprising other expats with similar job roles. They spend long weekends together, enjoying the city and partying. The friendship group is not especially close or dependable in a crisis, and members frequently disappear when they decide to return to their country of origin or are unable to handle the Berlin winter.

Although they are in love, Anna and Tom feel insecure about their sex life. They see friends and social media accounts having more adventurous sex, and wonder if they should be doing the same. They periodically explore new toys or sex clubs out of guilt, but ultimately refrain from incorporating anything new into their daily routine or having sex with other people.

Their lives are informed by the influx of social media platforms. While they think about quitting, Anna and Tom decide they cannot give up any of their social media accounts, and spend an extensive amount of time perusing the timelines, reels, and posts associated with each.

Over time, more wealthy expats arrive and Berlin begins to shift from the freedom and abundance Anna and Tom had originally experienced. They are affected by the gentrification of the city that they have helped to cause. The 2015 migrant crisis comes to the attention of Anna and Tom’s group when the photos of a drowned boy are circulated on social media. Anna and Tom attempt to help, but are largely ineffective due to lack of experience. After the migration crisis, they begin to feel trapped.

Anna and Tom decide to travel to ameliorate their stagnation. They take working breaks to other European cities, but ultimately return home tired and behind on work. They accept a contract helping redesign and rebrand a Lisbon guesthouse. After the contract ends, they travel to Sicily, where they are very unhappy with the accommodations.

They return to Berlin early, but are unable to settle. Anna’s uncle dies, leaving her his farmhouse. Anna and Tom move there and renovate it into a guesthouse. They open their hotel and the first weekend guests include several influencers. One posts a review (as per their agreement) that it is perfect—exactly as it appears in the pictures.