Book Brief

Perfect Match

Jodi Picoult

Perfect Match

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2002

Book Brief

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Jodi Picoult

Perfect Match

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2002
Book Details
Pages

368

Format

Novel • Fiction

Genre
Dramatic Literature

•

Mystery & Crime Fiction

•

Realistic Fiction
Setting

Contemporary York County, Maine, United States

Theme
Family
First Publication Year

2002

Publisher

Washington Square Press

Edition

Paperback • 2003

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Lexile Level

760L

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Super Short Summary

Nina Frost is an assistant district attorney in Maine who prosecutes crimes that tear families apart while keeping her emotions at bay. That professional distance collapses when she and her husband, Caleb, discover that their five-year-old son, Nathaniel, has been sexually abused. Suddenly caught between her legal expertise and a mother’s anguish, Nina confronts difficult questions about justice, protection, and vengeance.

Dark

Emotional

Challenging

Suspenseful

Informative

Reviews & Readership

4.0

92,963 ratings

73%

Loved it

22%

Mixed feelings

5%

Not a fan

Roundup icon

Review Roundup

Reviewers praise Picoult’s meticulous research into the legal system and her ability to make fraught questions of motherhood, justice, and morality compelling. Her present-tense prose and shifting viewpoints also earn admiration from some readers. Criticism is substantial, however: Kirkus calls the novel contrived and unconvincing, while another reviewer finds the perspective changes confusing, the central characters unsympathetic, and the outcome unsatisfying. Overall, responses suggest an absorbing, thought-provoking book whose plotting and characterization may strain credibility.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Perfect Match?

Perfect Match will appeal to readers drawn to emotionally intense family drama, morally complex suspense, and difficult questions about justice, vengeance, and parental responsibility. Its opening situation—an assistant district attorney learning that her five-year-old son has been sexually abused—places professional convictions in direct conflict with a mother’s anger and helplessness. Readers who enjoy fiction that challenges assumptions about right and wrong may find it compelling, but its sustained focus on child sexual abuse makes it best suited to those prepared for disturbing material.

4.0

92,963 ratings

73%

Loved it

22%

Mixed feelings

5%

Not a fan

Character List

A York County assistant district attorney whose professional distance collapses when her five-year-old son is sexually abused.

Nina and Caleb’s five-year-old son, whose trauma and disclosure of sexual abuse propel the family’s opening crisis.

Nina’s husband and Nathaniel’s father, whose family is thrown into crisis by the discovery of Nathaniel’s abuse.

A police detective, Nina’s close friend since childhood, and an investigator involved in the case surrounding Nathaniel.

The Frost family’s priest, whom Nina comes to regard as the suspect after Nathaniel communicates that a priest hurt him.

A social worker who supports Nina, plans to inform Caleb, and helps those involved navigate the case’s emotional strain.

A professional who works with Nathaniel, guiding him as he uses signs to communicate what happened to him.

Nathaniel’s Sunday school teacher, whom Nina initially assumes helped him after an apparent accident at church.

Book Details
Pages

368

Format

Novel • Fiction

Genre
Dramatic Literature

•

Mystery & Crime Fiction

•

Realistic Fiction
Setting

Contemporary York County, Maine, United States

Theme
Family
First Publication Year

2002

Publisher

Washington Square Press

Edition

Paperback • 2003

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Lexile Level

760L

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