A review by jess_mango
The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville

4.0

I read this book as part of the Women's Fiction Prize read-along. This book won the Orange Prize for Women's Fiction in 2001.

This novel is very redolent of Australia...the atmosphere, the slang, etc. I alternated listening to it on audio and reading the hardcover version. The main characters in the book are socially awkward middle aged divorcees. Harley has been married 3 times and Douglas has been married once. They have both come to the small Australian bush town of Karakarook for different reasons. Harley is an expert quilter and part-time curator at a museum in Sydney who has journeyed to the small town to help them set up their own heritage museum. Meanwhile, Douglas is an engineer and is in town to demolish an old bridge and construct a new one. So, Harley is in town to help them save their heritage and Douglas is there to destroy it (at least the old bridge). Both of them are dealing with their own emotional baggage and regrets.

The story was lightly amusing and charming as these two bumbled along doing their thing and find their way to each other and find an unlikely connection. We also meet a few other townspeople, including Felicity who is seemingly obsessed with removing imperfections from her life. For example,She avoids smiling too much so that she won't develop wrinkles.

It reminded me in some ways of The Shipping News by Annie Proulx in that it was the story of everyday people in a remote environ. The story was definitely character-centric rather than plot driven. The story slowly unwinds as we get glimpses inside the character's thoughts and they reveal more about themselves.

somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars.