A review by sharkybookshelf
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico

4.0

Italian millennials Anna and Tom are living the dream in Berlin as digital creatives, but for a seeping feeling of ennui…

Admittedly, I wasn’t as gripped by this one as I thought I would be, largely due to the detached writing and it’s not as plot-y as I expected. But actually the writing perfectly suits the story and it turns out that it’s a book that lingers and has given me far more on reflection. It’s a short book, but there’s a lot packed in under the surface, and the more I think about, the more I appreciate it (I could almost bump my rating up to five stars).

Latronico has written an incisive and quietly scathing assessment of the impact of social media on our individual and societal contentment, particularly the millennial generation. That search for an aesthetic photo at the expense of actually immersing oneself in a place or experience, wanting life to look perfect without really putting in the work to appreciate what we already have or think too hard about what we’re really searching for (tangible connection), the thought that moving somewhere new (and pretty) will solve any dissatisfactions - he’s captured it all perfectly. (And the pointed accuracy of it all is frankly depressing.)

As a millennial myself, much of the book resonated with me, though it probably would have hit harder 5-10 years ago. Thanks to the visual nature and insidious ubiquity of social media, most (Western) millennials will immediately recall the viral photos which are described vaguely. Many will also recognise Anna and Tom’s experience of growing up whilst the internet was also “growing up” - honestly, what a weird time we all had.

I grew up as an expat, so that revolving door feel to the expat community, with people constantly arriving and departing and the dreamlike sense of impermanence also felt deeply familiar.

An incisive, quietly scathing and lingering story of the insidious nature of social media, the emptiness of it and how it makes us all a bit performative - a mirror for millennials.