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Left Coast Justin's Reviews > Perfection
Perfection
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This was a painful book to read. Proceeding through these pages is like pressing down on an infected fingernail. Is the book about the loss of youthful joy that almost inevitably attends growing older? Or is it about the trap set by influencers on social media, always promising more than the real world can deliver? Or maybe the way a life, or even an entire society, can be compromised not by big bold strokes but my the millions of small decisions we make throughout the day, failing to see where it's leading us? Or is it about the role of luck in whether we end up prosperous and satisfied (or dissatisfied) or hanging on by a thread?
It's about all of these things. The happiness in reading books like this, despite the pain, is the celebratory feeling inherent in realizing there are truly talented artists writing like this. The technique in this book was very impressive -- an omniscient, disengaged narrator describing events with a consistent tone throughout, drip-feeding us enough information to see the bigger picture long before the young married couple at the center of the story do.
I don't relate to these people, but I certainly recognize them. I was truly impressed by this economically-told tale.
It's about all of these things. The happiness in reading books like this, despite the pain, is the celebratory feeling inherent in realizing there are truly talented artists writing like this. The technique in this book was very impressive -- an omniscient, disengaged narrator describing events with a consistent tone throughout, drip-feeding us enough information to see the bigger picture long before the young married couple at the center of the story do.
I don't relate to these people, but I certainly recognize them. I was truly impressed by this economically-told tale.
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Bonnie G.
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Mar 20, 2025 08:02PM
It is always a pleasure to see good writing. Is there a strong social media thread? I don't use social media or engage with the work of influencers, and books with a significant focus on that world feel remote for me.
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I am very interested in reading books about the influence of social media. A very intriguing review, thank you, Justin!
You write about this book in a way that pulls me towards reading it, Justin—as if your words about it were magnets:-)And as it happens, the book was chosen by my RL bookgroup for the end of March but I'd been dragging my feet about starting it for no good reason. Now I'm...whoosh!
Bonnie and Alexandra, this book treats social media the way Moby Dick treats saltwater -- it's always there, it's the environment through which these characters move, but the book really focuses on the daily activities of this couple and how they feel about them.
Fionnuala, I felt a little challenged by the first chapter, and was ready to put this down and write if off as a mistake. But then the author put in a little knife twist at the end of the chapter and from that point forward I felt I was in good hands.I hope you enjoy it -- because the book is so much more suggestive than prescriptive, I think it would be ideal for a book club.
Left Coast Justin wrote: "Bonnie and Alexandra, this book treats social media the way Moby Dick treats saltwater -- it's always there, it's the environment through which these characters move, but the book really focuses on..."*Gulp*
Found out about this from the International Booker long list. Something about white on white milquetoast lifestyle criticism sounds droll
Left Coast Justin wrote: "Bonnie and Alexandra, this book treats social media the way Moby Dick treats saltwater -- it's always there, it's the environment through which these characters move, but the book really focuses on..."That is really helpful, Justin. That is how I treat social media too. It is part of my life every day, it is how we communicate with students and peers to some extent, but I don't personally engage (other than LinkedIn which is essential for me, and not really "social.")
The questions you pose at the start of your review tell me that this book was impactful, Justin. I love to read anything that makes me ask questions, even if clear answers don't necessarily follow. After all, there are no clear answers to most questions on life! Great review :)
Mwana, I guess the book could be described that way, if one's reading style is to skim the surface and not burrow down at all into what the author is actually trying to communicate. From the negative reviews I've read, I suspect few of them made it past the first couple of chapters.
Bonnie, don't forget Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ! Which is surely social media, but the "good" kind. At least, if you hang around with highbrow artistes such as myself and not people trying to fabricate scandals about the latest vampire book.
Thanks for your comment, Candi, but I'm not so sure about the lack of answers in the book. What I took away from it is "your best days are behind you," thus the pain in reading it.I do believe this would be a good Candi book. And it's only 102 pages long, which is really astonishing, given how much it contains.
Lol, Justin. I don't think of Gr that way, but if we are including it as social media I definitely appreciate at least one social, and you are definitely one of the reasons why.
Wow, it sounds like this one had you hooked Justin - nice one mate, and a great review :))
Left Coast Justin wrote: "Thanks for your comment, Candi, but I'm not so sure about the lack of answers in the book. What I took away from it is "your best days are behind you," thus the pain in reading it.I do believe th..."
"Best days behind us"...........now that's just crazy talk Justin!!!!
Not having it.
I'm sure, Mark, I have a few good days in me yet. I'll be working up in San Francisco proper this summer -- that oughta be fun! I'm sure to meet some interesting people.
This lifestyle is foreign to me. For that reason, Perfection has piqued my interest as has your review.
Left Coast Justin wrote: "I'm sure, Mark, I have a few good days in me yet. I'll be working up in San Francisco proper this summer -- that oughta be fun! I'm sure to meet some interesting people."It's good to know that you aren't giving up just yet! 😉
"The happiness in reading books like this, despite the pain, is the celebratory feeling inherent in realizing there are truly talented artists writing like this."This is the best motive one could give me for reading a book. Have you noticed how difficult to please we get to be with each passing year, Justin? In her review Fionnuala makes a good point on the economy of the writing. Apparently he was inspired by an older book, but that doesn't make this any less interesting.
LIsa, this was an excellent example of how to leave a lot unsaid, allowing the reader to fill in the blanks however they see fit. This is specifically about a married couple from Italy who have moved to Berlin, but the cycles of happiness and disappointment they go through seem pretty universal. The book had to end somewhere, and the author chose to end it at the end of one of these cycles.
Have you noticed how difficult to please we get to be with each passing year, Justin?Why, yes, Violetta, I have noticed that! Luckily I have friends with excellent taste here on GR who throw enough good books at me that some of them stick.
