Better than Perfect

The pitch from the start is kind of depressing to me. The characters were all left from the fragments of a family that was once perfect and happy was replaced and cocooned into a house that was simply composed of two members of the family that was once a four. They all became fragile, especially Juliet's mother. Like a simple prick of a needle might blow her away together with all the regrets and sadness she has. I am a weakling when it comes from a part where parents became so weak and vulnerable with each other and nothing hurts more seeing them separated for good. That is why I empathize with Juliet's situation and the way her perspective of life went like tornado of confusion.

I haven't encountered how SAT's works on a student's life but we have a basic three horrors in life as a student here in out country - Prelim, Midterm and Finals. So I can't really grasp when certain characters from a book are all dreading to reach the passing point from it. But one thing is for sure, everytime I read how these characters were all struggling for this, I can feel the pressure that they are experiencing at that point. I can see how Juliet and her boyfriend is doing all of their best to ace the SAT's and get accepted on Harvard. Pressure is steaming for such young people as I might add.

Melissa Kantor's prose of sadness is nothing but full of heartbreaks and reality. She remained that writing style of her's wherein the characters situation is battling to herself and struggling to live on with what's worth hanging for. Her words find its path to ingest these things on my heart. It's really difficult to choose when the perfect picture just shattered in front of her without any warnings.

But the author did not just focus the lights on Juliet's mother and everything about her family. She also let Juliet make its way to walk down by herself and meet different people. I can see the characters were all affected by each and other and how they cannot set straight for anything. It is also how she was able to create another part of Juliet's life, Declan and his band. Nothing more catches my attention when it comes to a sudden encounter with people who were in the midst of confusion and regret. It was all confusing and endearing at first, and I honestly loved it, so when it comes to the confrontations and the way things heated up, I loved it even more. Because I wanted to see how Juliet will able to think clearly from all of those things.

What really made me liked this book is how Juliet was able to risk and toss away what her family and boyfriend wanted her to become. All those plan for the future and lead a perfect and balanced life, she risked all of that although it was all in front of her to take, she chose what is truly the best for her with her own decision. The fragile character that I once read from the beginning became this strong and a risk-taker.

Better than Perfect marked its way to deliver the characters anxiety and depression until to its acceptance of every situation. Although you'll see a grotesque figure of a family, the ending definitely molded it onto a new shape of freedom and acceptance.