Perfect Match (novel)

infobox Book |
name = Perfect Match


image_caption = Australian edition
author = Jodi Picoult
cover_artist = Nada Bankovic &
Tabitha King
country = United States
language = English
genre = Novel
publisher = Allen & Unwin
release_date = 2002
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 353 pp
isbn = ISBN 978-1-86508-978-2

"Perfect Match" (2002) is a novel by Jodi Picoult. It deals with family issues and crime, primarily child sexual abuse and murder. It is one of Picoult's only novels not to follow her typical back-and-forth flashback format.

Plot summary

The story opens with a prologue in which an unnamed female character in a courtroom who unexplainably shoots the defendant four times as he approaches his defense attorney. The shooter, as revealed, is Assistant District Attorney, Nina Frost and the defendant is a priest. At the time of the trial (and shooting) she had been led to believe that Father Szyszynski had sexually abused her five-year-old son Nathaniel after lab tests had confirmed his semen was found in the child's underpants, and Nathaniel had verbally accused Father "Glen" Szyszynski of molesting him.

It later turned out that Nina had in fact killed the wrong man, and a visiting priest named Father Gwynne had molested Nathaniel. Fathers Gwynne and Szyszynski shared the same DNA in their blood because Father Szyszynski had a bone marrow transplant from Father Gwynne, therefore leading to the belief that the semen belonged to Szyszynski. Although this fact was made known at Nina's own court trial for murder, after the jury could not reach a verdict, the judge ruled that her reasons were justified and therefore she was found not guilty of murder. In a final twist at the end, Nina's best friend and colleague Patrick Ducharme (whom she had an affair with throughout the duration of her trial when she had briefly split up with husband Caleb) moves away, and Nina discovers that Caleb had poisoned Father Gwynne, despite his earlier protests to her killing Szyszynski.

Main Characters

* Nathaniel Frost, the young boy who is sexually abused
* Nina Frost, his mother, a district attorney
* Caleb Frost, Nathaniel's father, a stone mason
* Patrick DuCharme, a police detective and close friend of Nina's (who also appears in Picoult's novel Nineteen Minutes)
* Fathers Gwynne and Szyszynski, two priests in the parish caught up in the sex abuse scandal

ee also

*Pedophilia
*List of books portraying paedophilia or sexual abuse of minors
*Child sexual abuse

References

*Hood, Ann, [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/117808924.html?dids=117808924:117808924&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&fmac=&date=May+5%2C+2002&author=Reviewed+by+Ann+Hood&desc=Breaking+Faith "Breaking Faith"] ,Review, The Washington Post; May 5, 2002; T.06
*Rhule, Patty, [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/117570596.html?dids=117570596:117570596&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+2%2C+2002&author=Patty+Rhule&pub=USA+TODAY&edition=&startpage=D.07&desc=Love+and+hate+are+%27Perfect+Match%27+%3B+Mom+turns+vigilante+after+son%27s+molestation "Love and hate are 'Perfect Match' ; Mom turns vigilante after son's molestation] ", Review, USA Today; May 2, 2002
*Vidmos, Robin, [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DP&p_theme=dp&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=picoult%20AND%20date(01/01/2002%20to%2012/31/2002)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=01/01/2002%20to%2012/31/2002)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(%22picoult%22)&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no "Murder or Justice? D.A.'s vigilante action poses questions of pride, ethics and fairness"] , Review, The Denver Post, April 21, 2002; Page EE-01

External links

* [http://www.jodipicoult.com/perfect-match.html "Perfect Match" entry on official Jodi Picoult website]