BIBLIOMANIAC'S BOOK CLUB: The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

March 03, 2018

BIBLIOMANIAC'S BOOK CLUB: The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

What's it about?

Juliette loves Nate. She will follow him anywhere. She's even become a flight attendant for his airline, so she can keep a closer eye on him.

They are meant to be.

The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing. Because Juliette has a plan to win him back. She is the perfect girlfriend. And she'll make sure no one stops her from getting exactly what she wants.

True love hurts, but Juliette knows it's worth all the pain...

Bibliomaniac’s Review of The Perfect Girlfriend

This is a deliciously dark, slow burner of a novel which gradually unveils the lengths the narrator Elizabeth / Juliette is prepared to go to in order to win back boyfriend Nate who broke up with her six months ago. She has a plan. She has time. She has considered all eventualities. She will win him back and have the perfect boyfriend and the perfect life which is all that she, the perfect girlfriend, deserves.

This novel is a bold piece of fiction relying on a protagonist who is unlikeable, relentless in her pursuit of her goal, fuelled by revenge and bitterness and yet with a voice that grabs you, holds you and doesn’t set you down again until you have survived the journey to the last page. Juliette* is a captivating character whose observations, comments, unfailing self belief and sharp one liners make her a narrator that the reader develops a strong relationship with despite her screwed up motives and terrible behaviour. (*She is also known as Elizabeth and Lily but I’m sticking to Juliette for my review to make life easier!)

We’ve all met unreliable narrators, but an unreliable and unlikeable narrator is something else. Not only does the reader love to hate her, it is also very difficult for an author to create such a character with consistence and conviction but Karen Hamilton does. In fact, she achieves it so successfully it is hard to believe this is a debut thriller.

From the opening chapter I was fascinated by the voice of Juliette, impressed with her front, smiled at her blunt honesty and yet seriously unnerved by her internal thoughts and her understanding of what sort of behavior is acceptable or normal. I liked that the novel has quite a slow and steady pace to mirror Juliette’s calculated decisions and precise movements. For a while I was waiting for this to change, for the big twist or a shocking reveal but soon realized it wasn’t coming. What Hamilton had planned was so much more than this! Juliette cannot be distracted from her focus and neither can the reader. Juliette, flight attendant extraordinaire, is in this for the “long haul” and so is the reader. And it is worth it. The Perfect Girlfriend is worth every flight, stop over, late night and hour you spend reading this book! As for the jet lag once the journey is over– I’m still suffering!

Although I said this was a slow burner with a considered pace, there is still plenty of action, drama and tension. This novel is taut with moments of suspense and anxiety. Juliette is obsessive, she stalks Nate; she knows everything about him and she accesses every aspect of his life until he cannot make one single move without her knowing and planning around it. But she is so chilling because she is so ‘normal’. And in her new job she has proved she is capable of kindness, thoughtfulness and friendship as well as cruelty and obsession. She operates easily amongst her colleagues and nothing untoward is suggested as she goes about her daily life. It’s only as time goes on that things don’t always stack up but she is masterful, intelligent and quick witted. She is not going to get caught out.

Hamilton’s use of one liners to capture Juliette’s self belief, self confidence and candid observations about situations made me smile as well as simultaneously filling me with fear. They were very effective when used at the end of chapters and not only were they great cliffhangers they also encapsulated Juliette’s character. Maybe I was amused – or bemused – by her rather than finding her completely unlikeable.

Hamilton also raises some interesting themes in the novel like the idea that we are owed something. Juliette feels that she “deserves” a happy ending, that she has an entitlement to Nate. There are also themes of revenge, fate, destiny and grief. There is also an exploration of opportunism and resilience. I also enjoyed Hamilton’s literary devices and style of prose. Hamilton uses clichés deliberately to exaggerate Juliette’s literal interpretation or abuse of them and I found this a really effective device. I also liked the repetition of mantras and the sense of ‘deep breathing’ that was created through the sentence structure when Juliette needed to focus.

It’s not just Juliette who is unlikeable, many of the characters in the story are hard to warm too and certainly flawed and fallible. They are not without their secrets or dark sides. Despite this, The Perfect Girlfriend is not an oppressive read. Hamilton’s use of humour and flashbacks ensures enough lightness for the reader. The short, blunt statements, the dialogue and the constant sense of movement from the fact that the characters are always travelling between countries and time zones as they work on the airlines, maintains a sense of action and direction so we are constantly propelled forward rather than left to sink amongst the darkest thoughts of the characters.

I did feel that one scene needed the reader to turn a slight blind eye to the credulity of the moment but as this event then propels the story towards it’s dramatic climax I was prepared to accept it. I had faith in Hamilton and she delivered.

All in all, this was a very engaging and compelling read. I was hooked from the first moment the story took flight and despite a nauseating travel sickness that hung over every page as the true direction of the passengers was revealed, it was an exhilarating ride! Despite the fear, danger and moments of horror, I wouldn’t hesitate to jump on the next flight as long as Hamilton was in the pilot’s seat.

Grab this book, fasten your seat belt and prepare for take off. You don’t need to know your destination or route. Trust Hamilton and trust me, this is a book that you are going to want to read and a ride that will take you days to recover from.

Bibliomaniac’s Book Club: Questions

1. The author uses the phrases “Til death do us part “ and “love you to death” several times in her writing. How does this increase the tension and how does it help to emphasize or justify Juliette’s choices?

2. What other clichés does the author include? Did you find this an effective device or a distraction? Cliches are usually to be avoided, so how does the inclusion of them enhance the writing in this novel?

3. Did you find the representation of the Flight Attendants and the insight into the industry convincing? Why do you think the author chose this occupation for her main characters?

4. What challenges does this career choice pose for the author in terms of time, place and storyline?

5. What are your thoughts and feelings about Bella?

6. Elizabeth says “You can’t change a mistake”. Would it ever have been possible to stop Elizabeth? Were there any points in the novel where something could have been done or something could have prevented her from continuing on her path of destruction? Could her story ever have been different?

7. How did the prologue and the storyline about Will affect you and your reaction towards Elizabeth? What purpose did this storyline serve?

8. Elizabeth thinks she really wants Nate. What do you think she wants? Or what do you think she needs?

9. “Without love and acceptance, all that’s left is something dark and hateful.” Discuss this sentence taken from page 315.

10. What do you think happens next?