Scan barcode
raven_morgan's review against another edition
5.0
Perfections is the second novel by Kirstyn McDermott, originally released as an ebook only from Xoum, and recent re-released by Twelfth Planet Press as a gorgeous paperback. McDermott’s debut novel, Madigan Mine is also being re-released by Twelfth Planet Press as an ebook.
First thing: I am so happy to be able to own a physical copy of this book. I read a lot of ebooks, but for books that I really love (spoiler: I love this book), I really like having a physical copy on the shelf. And this is a seriously gorgeous book, with stunning cover art by Amanda Rainey.
Second thing: I am a massive fan of McDermott’s work in general. In terms of craft, she is extraordinarily talented – at a sentence level, her prose is lyrical and evocative, and her characters are always exquisitely drawn. From the moment they step foot onto the page, they live and breathe and feel; combine this with the darkness that twines through most of McDermott’s work, and you have something truly extraordinary.
Perfections is what I’ve come to expect from McDermott – grounded in reality, but a reality slightly twisted, threaded through with dark magic. I don’t want to talk too much in depth about the plot of the book – there are details that aren’t really spoilers, but I believe that the reading of the book is a much richer experience if you don’t know them.
Perfections is, at its heart, a book about sisters, about daughters, about mothers. It is a book about the way families can twist around secrets (and oh, the secrets that this family has). The reader moves back and forth between the viewpoints of two sisters, Antoinette and Jacqueline. Both are skilfully drawn, and it is very easy to feel empathy for both of them and the situations that they are in; especially well done is the juxtaposition between how they see themselves and how they are seen by their sister.
There is darkness here: both of the human variety (and kudos to McDermott for how well she handles some of the true nastiness in her characters – it always makes sense, and is never there for the sake of a character having to be nasty to justify a dark genre), and of the fantastical. There is some particular imagery from near the end of the book that I will likely never be able to get out of my head (if you’ve read the book, I bet you know what I mean).
And, without spoiling anything, Perfections has a seriously good ending.
Reading as a reader, I was utterly captivated by this world (and loving some of the connections to McDermott’s other work). As a writer, I was torn between deep envy and deep admiration for just how damn well McDermott writes. The envy doesn’t last long, of course, especially when an author is as damn nice as McDermott is.
Horror and dark fantasy are genres that have, at times, a bad reputation – I know plenty of readers who won’t even touch something that might be horror. And honestly, with some of the books and movies that are in the genre, I don’t blame them (reputations are, sometimes, justified things). And yes, sometimes there is absolutely nothing wrong with gore for the sake of gore, fear for the sake of fear. I do wish that some of the readers who shy away would pick up books like Perfections and realise that there can be much more to the horror/dark fantasy genre.
Perfections is an incredible book. It is haunting and evocative, presenting a world that is just so slightly askew from our own, but populated with characters who live and breathe so well that they could be anyone you know. McDermott is one of Australia’s best writers of dark fiction, and if you haven’t read any of her work, Perfections is an extremely good place to start. And then prepare to devour everything else.
First thing: I am so happy to be able to own a physical copy of this book. I read a lot of ebooks, but for books that I really love (spoiler: I love this book), I really like having a physical copy on the shelf. And this is a seriously gorgeous book, with stunning cover art by Amanda Rainey.
Second thing: I am a massive fan of McDermott’s work in general. In terms of craft, she is extraordinarily talented – at a sentence level, her prose is lyrical and evocative, and her characters are always exquisitely drawn. From the moment they step foot onto the page, they live and breathe and feel; combine this with the darkness that twines through most of McDermott’s work, and you have something truly extraordinary.
Perfections is what I’ve come to expect from McDermott – grounded in reality, but a reality slightly twisted, threaded through with dark magic. I don’t want to talk too much in depth about the plot of the book – there are details that aren’t really spoilers, but I believe that the reading of the book is a much richer experience if you don’t know them.
Perfections is, at its heart, a book about sisters, about daughters, about mothers. It is a book about the way families can twist around secrets (and oh, the secrets that this family has). The reader moves back and forth between the viewpoints of two sisters, Antoinette and Jacqueline. Both are skilfully drawn, and it is very easy to feel empathy for both of them and the situations that they are in; especially well done is the juxtaposition between how they see themselves and how they are seen by their sister.
There is darkness here: both of the human variety (and kudos to McDermott for how well she handles some of the true nastiness in her characters – it always makes sense, and is never there for the sake of a character having to be nasty to justify a dark genre), and of the fantastical. There is some particular imagery from near the end of the book that I will likely never be able to get out of my head (if you’ve read the book, I bet you know what I mean).
And, without spoiling anything, Perfections has a seriously good ending.
Reading as a reader, I was utterly captivated by this world (and loving some of the connections to McDermott’s other work). As a writer, I was torn between deep envy and deep admiration for just how damn well McDermott writes. The envy doesn’t last long, of course, especially when an author is as damn nice as McDermott is.
Horror and dark fantasy are genres that have, at times, a bad reputation – I know plenty of readers who won’t even touch something that might be horror. And honestly, with some of the books and movies that are in the genre, I don’t blame them (reputations are, sometimes, justified things). And yes, sometimes there is absolutely nothing wrong with gore for the sake of gore, fear for the sake of fear. I do wish that some of the readers who shy away would pick up books like Perfections and realise that there can be much more to the horror/dark fantasy genre.
Perfections is an incredible book. It is haunting and evocative, presenting a world that is just so slightly askew from our own, but populated with characters who live and breathe so well that they could be anyone you know. McDermott is one of Australia’s best writers of dark fiction, and if you haven’t read any of her work, Perfections is an extremely good place to start. And then prepare to devour everything else.
tehani's review against another edition
5.0
I could not put this down. Amazing, unpredictable stuff!
the_fenharel's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book from Goodreads First Reads in return for an honest review.
When I read the blurb, I was surprised by the sort of story line they were setting up. I was expecting something that wasn't very fantasy. I love fantasy and I was slightly disappointed in that.
Then I read the first page and was instantly hooked. McDermott has an amazing way of bringing the reader straight into the world without making you realise it.
As an Aussie, I was so grateful to read a book that was set in my country but wasn't overly Australian. McDermott didn't feel the need to throw in Australian slang every five minutes to remind us that we're there.
This story started off as very whimsical (hurr hurr) but then slowly dissolved into horror... which I loved! I loved the twists and turns and how it makes you think!
Antoinette and Jacqueline were fantastic characters, and I only wish the ending was fleshed out a little more. I saw Jacqueline as someone who didn't want to be alone and was starting a bit of a romance with the Queensland artist, but that seemed to be cut off suddenly.
I also wanted to know if Antoinette would be able to love again after Loki was gone.
So many questions, but I like that it ended in a style like this! They weren't plot holes, just questions for their future. This keeps the possibility open for a future novel!
When I read the blurb, I was surprised by the sort of story line they were setting up. I was expecting something that wasn't very fantasy. I love fantasy and I was slightly disappointed in that.
Then I read the first page and was instantly hooked. McDermott has an amazing way of bringing the reader straight into the world without making you realise it.
As an Aussie, I was so grateful to read a book that was set in my country but wasn't overly Australian. McDermott didn't feel the need to throw in Australian slang every five minutes to remind us that we're there.
This story started off as very whimsical (hurr hurr) but then slowly dissolved into horror... which I loved! I loved the twists and turns and how it makes you think!
Antoinette and Jacqueline were fantastic characters, and I only wish the ending was fleshed out a little more. I saw Jacqueline as someone who didn't want to be alone and was starting a bit of a romance with the Queensland artist, but that seemed to be cut off suddenly.
I also wanted to know if Antoinette would be able to love again after Loki was gone.
So many questions, but I like that it ended in a style like this! They weren't plot holes, just questions for their future. This keeps the possibility open for a future novel!
michelle_e_goldsmith's review
4.0
A creepy and addictive horror novel with well drawn, believable characters. Will keep you guessing right to the end. Recommended.
celiaedf12's review
4.0
Dear god, this was horrifyingly creepy. It particularly hit several new-parent horrid things happening to children buttons with me, but is not gratuitously violent by any means. I really loved how effectively it moves from that creeping sense of wrongness to you wondering how the hell any of the characters are going to come out of this alive and sane.
tsana's review
5.0
Perfections by Kirstyn McDermott is the author's second novel and has been shortlisted for a pile of awards this year, despite having only been released last December. It's picked up shortlistings for Aurealis Horror Novel, Ditmar Best Novel and Australian Shadows Award Novel. Reading it, the award nominations are hardly a mystery.
Perfections is about two sisters, Antoinette and Jacqueline, who live in Melbourne. The story opens with Jacqueline going off to Brisbane for work shortly after Antoinette's boyfriend dumped her. They don't have much in common other than a shared childhood and a mother. The story follows their separate issues as their lives become increasingly entwined.
Perfections isn't what I think of as psychologically-scarred for life horror (a la Slights) but there is a distinct creepiness to it and there were definitely a few disturbing bits. (Not enough to keep me up at night, but your mileage may vary.) For a large chunk of the book I thought it could be classed as the horror version of magical realism but it got a bit too... much towards the end for such a tentative label.
McDermott made me think about the relationship between the mundane and the horrifying. One doesn't have to peel back many layers to find unpleasantness in the sisters' lives, but McDermott keeps peeling until all they're left with is reality (or some facsimile thereof) and each other.
As I write this, I realise that going into Perfections I had little idea of what the book was actually about, beyond that there were two sisters. None of the reviews I read prior to picking it up (via AWW) reveal the instigating event near the start that kicks off the plot. Which strikes me as odd because it's not what I'd usually consider a spoiler. But I suppose I'll jump on the bandwagon; leave a comment if you want to know.
Perfections was an enjoyable read. McDermott is a skilled writer and uses a few different stylistic tools in some chapters to great effect. I definitely want to pick up her other novel, Madigan Mine, and will be keeping an eye on what she writes in the future. I recommend Perfections to fans of horror and speculative fiction generally. I suspect there's much in there to appeal to a fan of dark contemporary fiction as well (it's not that similar to After the Darkness, but if you enjoyed that book and you don't usually read genre fiction, I'd suggest giving Perfections a shot).
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
Perfections is about two sisters, Antoinette and Jacqueline, who live in Melbourne. The story opens with Jacqueline going off to Brisbane for work shortly after Antoinette's boyfriend dumped her. They don't have much in common other than a shared childhood and a mother. The story follows their separate issues as their lives become increasingly entwined.
Perfections isn't what I think of as psychologically-scarred for life horror (a la Slights) but there is a distinct creepiness to it and there were definitely a few disturbing bits. (Not enough to keep me up at night, but your mileage may vary.) For a large chunk of the book I thought it could be classed as the horror version of magical realism but it got a bit too... much towards the end for such a tentative label.
McDermott made me think about the relationship between the mundane and the horrifying. One doesn't have to peel back many layers to find unpleasantness in the sisters' lives, but McDermott keeps peeling until all they're left with is reality (or some facsimile thereof) and each other.
As I write this, I realise that going into Perfections I had little idea of what the book was actually about, beyond that there were two sisters. None of the reviews I read prior to picking it up (via AWW) reveal the instigating event near the start that kicks off the plot. Which strikes me as odd because it's not what I'd usually consider a spoiler. But I suppose I'll jump on the bandwagon; leave a comment if you want to know.
Perfections was an enjoyable read. McDermott is a skilled writer and uses a few different stylistic tools in some chapters to great effect. I definitely want to pick up her other novel, Madigan Mine, and will be keeping an eye on what she writes in the future. I recommend Perfections to fans of horror and speculative fiction generally. I suspect there's much in there to appeal to a fan of dark contemporary fiction as well (it's not that similar to After the Darkness, but if you enjoyed that book and you don't usually read genre fiction, I'd suggest giving Perfections a shot).
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
alanbaxter's review
5.0
This is an excellent book - my full review is posted at Thirteen O'Clock here: http://www.thirteenoclock.com.au/perfections-by-kirstyn-mcdermott-review/
More...