Perfect Match [Paperback]

Jodi Picoult (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 4, 2003

What does it mean to be a good mother?

How far would you go in the name of love -- and justice?

Perfect Match

In the course of her everyday work, career-driven assistant district attorney Nina Frost prosecutes child molesters and works determinedly to ensure that a legal system with too many loopholes keeps these criminals behind bars. But when her own five-year-old son, Nathaniel, is traumatized by a sexual assault, Nina and her husband, Caleb, a quiet and methodical stone mason, are shattered, ripped apart by an enraging sense of helplessness in the face of a futile justice system that Nina knows all too well. In a heartbeat, Nina's absolute truths and convictions are turned upside down, and she hurtles toward a plan to exact her own justice for her son -- no matter the consequence, whatever the sacrifice.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One plot element¢a case of child molestation involving a Catholic priest¢in Picoult's latest novel (after Salem Falls) now seems eerily prescient, but that's only part of the saga she weaves, which is primarily an indictment of the current criminal justice system. Nina Frost, an assistant district attorney in Maine, knows how hard it is to obtain a conviction for a sex crime when the victim is a juvenile, so when her five-year-old son, Nathaniel, identifies their priest as being the man who raped him, Nina's grievances with the system become personal. Frustrated by the threat of an unsatisfactory legal outcome, she takes the law into her own hands, killing the priest in open court. Awaiting her own trial, a startling fact emerges from the DNA: the priest was innocent. Will Nina be able to prove to a jury that her actions were justified, particularly since she killed the wrong man? Picoult adeptly renders Nina's feelings¢impotence, guilt, the drive for retribution¢but Nina is herself an unsympathetic heroine, from her initial accusation of her husband to her arrogant vigilante stance, which does little to persuade the reader that an act of premeditation should be recast as maternal instinct. While the argument that the current system is flawed is solid, the only alternative offered is an iffy form of frontier justice that many readers may find unpalatable.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

As an assistant district attorney in Maine, Nina Frost knows all too well that the legal system often fails to protect children from sexual predators. So when her five-year-old son, Nathaniel, suddenly refuses to speak and begins misbehaving in school, Nina and her husband, Caleb, consult a psychiatrist and learn that their son has been sexually abused. But by whom? Although Father Szyszynski strenuously denies the accusations, DNA evidence says otherwise. At the priest's arraignment, Nina shoots and kills him, only to find out later that he was innocent. Nina is found guilty of manslaughter, given probation, and loses her license to practice law. With this ripped-from-the-headlines plot, the usually reliable Picoult (Salem Falls, etc.) fails to deliver; major flaws include a cast of one-dimensional characters and an awkward mixture of first and third person that confuses rather than enlightens. In addition, Nina is a truly dislikable heroine (her justifications for the murder are both laughable and frightening), and the meaningless subplots distract from, rather than add to, the main story. Buy only for demand and then conservatively. Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press (February 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743418735
• ISBN-13: 978-0743418737
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (170 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up on Long Island with my parents and my little brother, the product of a ridiculously happy childhood. My mom says I've been writing as long as she remembers - my first masterpiece was "The Lobster That Was Misunderstood," at age 5. I honed my writing skills beyond that, one hopes, before I headed off to Princeton, where I wanted to work with living, breathing authors in their creative writing program. Mary Morris was my teacher/mentor, and I really do believe I wouldn't be where I am today if not for her guidance and expertise. I had two short stories published in SEVENTEEN magazine when I was in college. However, when I graduated, a desire to not eat ramen noodles exclusively and to be able to pay my rent led me to take a job on Wall Street (not a great idea, since I can't even balance my checkbook). When the stock market crashed in 1987, I moved to Massachusetts and over the course of two years, worked at a textbook publishing company, taught creative writing at a private school, became an ad copywriter, got a master's in education at Harvard, got married, taught at a public school, and had a baby. My first novel was published shortly after my son was born, and I've always said that the reason I kept writing is because it's so much easier than teaching English.

In fourteen years, I've published thirteen novels: Songs of the Humpback Whale, Harvesting the Heart, Picture Perfect, Mercy, The Pact, Keeping Faith, Plain Truth, Salem Falls, Perfect Match, Second Glance, My Sister's Keeper, Vanishing Acts, and the upcoming The Tenth Circle, this March. Two of my books (Plain Truth and The Pact) were made into Lifetime TV movies; Keeping Faith will be another. My Sister's Keeper is in development at New Line Cinema to be a feature film. And there isn't a single day that I don't stop and marvel at the fact that when I go to work, I get to do what I love the most.

My husband Tim and I live in Hanover, NH with our three kids, a dog, a rabbit, and the occasional donkey or cow.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#28 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#2 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

#2 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction

#4 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#8 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction

#10 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

#2 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

#2 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction

#4 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#8 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction

#10 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 51 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Too similar to all the others May 29, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I have to preface this by saying that anyone who has not read many of Picoult's works might love this book. But having read almost all of her books the minute they were released, I was sorely disappointed by this one.

The writing, as always, is eloquent, gripping and excellent. However, this book follows the same sequence she has used in her past few books. And it has become too formulary for me. It is almost as if her editors are pressuring her to get the books out so she follows a similar style for all of them. And although each story is different, they read the same after a while. A plot develops at the beginning with a life changing event, there is a court case, and then a surprise at the end.

This particular book lost its appeal to me as soon as a Priest was drawn in to the mix. Having been prevalent in the news of late -- reading about church scandals is hardly something I wanted to do for pleasure. Perhaps that was a part of the problem. The subject is worn down.

That said, Picoult is amazingly talented, there is no doubt about it. And I will read all of her books that follow because I have faith that she will work originality back into her writing. The character development is fantastic, as is the dialogue and writing, but its the story lines that all develop similarly regardless of how different they initially seem.

Plain Truth, Keeping Faith, Harvesting the Heart and The Pact are four of my all time favorite books. And I cannot wait to add another of hers to that list.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing January 11, 2009

By Joanne L. Johnson

Format:Paperback

This is the fourth book I've read by Jodi Picoult and it may be my last. The first was My Sister's Keeper which I adored and I became a fan. Jodi Picoult is a very talented writer and I was intrigued by the premise of Perfect Match.

The story began with so much promise that this would be another emotional rollercoaster full of twists and turns. However, I got an early impression that the author's sympathies were heavily with the main character Nina and that everything would come out well for her in the end. But then I thought surely not; Jodi is going to pull out one of her surprises at the end.

I found Nina to be self-serving and unsympathetic. Like others, I found Patrick to be pathetic and creepy and thought it unrealistic that Caleb would allow him to be so much "a part of the family." And Jodi should have stayed away from trying to communicate Nathaniel's viewpoint... she clearly can't express the thoughts of a 5-year old.

And then came the ending that I was anticipating, the totally la-la land happy ending that has nothing to do with what would happen in the real world. **SPOILER ALERT** You cannot make me believe that there is a judge... anywhere...that would acquit on this flaky "mommy" defense even if the guy she killed was guilty of molesting her son.... and this guy was innocent! I was appalled. And then to top it off, Nina finds Caleb's bag with the antifreeze in it which proved he was the one to kill the real molester. Was anyone really THAT surprised (or cared, for that matter)? How convenient, how "sweet" and "justified" that both parents were willing to kill to protect their son. What an awful message this sends.

Time will tell if I pick up another of her books, but I doubt that I will.

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not One of Picoult's Best Books. March 18, 2003

By Nancy R. Katz VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I always look forward to reading a book by Jodi Picoult. Unfortunately, Perfect Match left a rather bitter taste in my mouthand will be one Picoult book I won't recommend. This book by an authorknown for her heart wrenching and thought provoking books, in my opinion, missed its mark. The basic story involves one tragedy compounded by another tragedy. And a main character, an assistant district attorney that added up to some predictability and rather unlikely courtroom scenes. Even a last minute twist didn't make up for a book I could have skipped.

Previous to reading Perfect Match,I read Picoult's books The Pact, Keeping Faith and Plain Truth. For those interested in reading this author, who has always impressed me before,these are worthwhile titles to read and savor. Because I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this author in the past, I now look forward to reading some of her older titles I missed and her new book due out shortly, Second Glance.