A Place Called Perfect: 1

Product Information

A Place Called Perfect, the middle-grade debut of graphic designer Helena Duggan, follows the story of Violet Brown who finds life as she knows it thrown up in air as her parents decide to move to a place called Perfect. Her father, a renowned ophthalmologist had been offered an attractive new job in this strange little town and Violet can do nothing but agree to this sudden turn of events- who cares if she has to leave her friends and everything she holds dear in her old life? Imagine living in a perfect town where everything is neat and tidy, the kids are polite and well behaved and the tea tastes like the best thing you can imagine. Sounds great, right? Well, not if the tea is actually hypnotising you and the glasses you are made to wear twist reality to make everything seem perfect and hide the truth… This was definitely a brilliant book, quite creepy but still amazing, with some incredible characters and an enticing yet unique plot. A Place Called Perfect delivers a creepy and whimsical tale on friendship, and fighting for what you believe in. As we are following Violet through moving into her new home in Perfect with her parents, we gradually find out more about the town along with her. Her dad got a great job there. The founders of an important business in the town, comes to greet Violet and her family. They even serve them their favorite tea. Apparently, everyone in the town needs to wear glasses, due to something in the air. So they all get fitted for special glasses in town.

Violet then meets Boy. Boy is different from the other people she has so far seen at Perfect, and with Boy helping her, Violet discovers that the two Archer brothers- her father's employers- are not who they seem to be. In fact, so cunning and dangerous are they that it's up to Violet and Boy to put their heads together and decide how to save the oblivious people of Perfect from the cunning Archer brothers. A theme that runs through many of my stories and books is conformity and people not standing up for what they believe, instead choosing the mass opinion. I also love the difference in people and find it fascinating how we label a person as odd if they are not following the "rules" of life, perhaps they are just being themselves?Violet was a wonderful character, though at times a bit too impulsive, and also a bit selfish (though I do get why she acted like that, I would probably have done the same if I was her age + it was my dad). But most of the time I just liked her a whole lot. She had a giant imagination, and she was also the one with the biggest plans. She never gave up, even when everything seemed hopeless. I cried along with her when her mom totally changed. I am from Kilkenny, a medieval, haunted city in the south of Ireland, which was the inspiration for the town in A Place Called Perfect. I write stories full of adventure because I get bored really easily. Violet is a spunky and fun character, and I loved seeing her character arc progress throughout the book. She went through quite the time, what with seeing her parents change into people she could barely recognize under her own eyes and all. Boy had a significant role throughout the book- I do wish his character had more in terms of growth, but together he and Violet were a, well, perfect pair. They were both extremely realistic and quirky and quite fun to be with throughout the course of the story. The evil twin Archer brothers are quite very menacing and their plans for Perfect were quite very appalling- they were honestly brilliantly evil villains! With echoes of Roald Dahl, Neil Gaiman's Coraline, the Wizard of Oz and the films of Tim Burton, this is a charming, whimsical tale sure to appeal to those who enjoy quirky, imaginative stories. Whilst the adult characters go blindly about their daily perfect lives it is left to the children to seek the truth of the matter and discover what the fiendish Archers are planning.

Helena Duggan is a graphic designer based in Kilkenny and this is her debut novel aimed at readers age 9+ although it would be equally enjoyed by adults who enjoy magical tales. The only thing that would have made the book even more gorgeous is illustrations. A bit in the style of the chapter headings. Until she meets a boy called Boy!! Yess, that is his name, Boy and she immediately befriends him and together they go on their journey to discover the secrets behind the magical town.Right from the bat I knew something was up with Perfect, but what? Well, the writer slowly builds up and shows us hints, little secrets, little twitches in the characters, mysterious events. It was never a slow or dull moment, instead I just hungrily ate it all, I wanted to know more. I wanted to figure out everything there was about this town, about its residents, about the Archers. I am still a bit emotional as this was a terrific book, so bear with me while I try to write a review. Violet and Boy form a beautiful friendship even-though they have been brought up very differently. They learn to get along together, although there are a few moments where they are not so nice to one another. They are very likeable characters. Violet goes from this little girl who is scared of everything, to one that is brave, resilient and determined. It’s a fun book with a dark side and a rather frightening premise that we can all see things through a different lens and lose our own power of thought – alarming similarities to our media driven world that sways public opinion on a single tweet.