The Perfect Family, by Robyn Harding
We all know them — those people who make life appear effortless. That’s the Adler family. It seems like their lives are perfect. Until they aren’t.
In The Perfect Family, by Robyn Harding, each member of the Adler family has secrets. These untold truths are buried under the surface, so above the surface, everything appears just perfect. Then things start to happen to their home, for all the neighbors to see, and the perfect family doesn’t look so perfect anymore.
This twisty thriller is told through multiple POVs. The chapters switch between first person narratives of each of the four main characters – Viv (mother), Thomas (father), Eli (son) and Tarryn (daughter). The shifting perspectives were relentless in driving the story forward. But they also did something else. They blended plot with compassion. Being immersed in the four family members’ points of view also let me into their challenges. I was fully on board with Viv, thinking Thomas was up to something, then the author takes us into Thomas’ world, and I understand what he’s facing. And so the story tumbles forward at a relentless pace.
By the end of the novel, the empathy I felt with each of these deeply flawed (and human) characters was unexpected — all wrapped up in a must-read-the-next-chapter thriller. Robyn Harding is a masterful storyteller. I look forward to reading more of her novels.
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