The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry

A dark, emotionally heavy thriller with a deep sense of unease

Author

Diego Dunne
December 17, 2024

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The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry Review

The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry is a chilling and deeply disturbing novel centered on Christopher and Hannah, a couple whose lives are upended when they adopt Janie, a severely traumatized child. What begins as an act of compassion spirals into a nightmare as the couple grapples with Janie’s unsettling behavior, testing their relationship, sanity, and understanding of family.

Trigger Warnings: child abuse, animal abuse, domestic violence, infertility, miscarriage.

This book falls firmly into the Domestic Thriller category, with the majority of the story unfolding in the family home, with some critical scenes taking place in a hospital setting.

Domestic thrillers: a subset of psychological thrillers that happen in a “domestic” location. This can be a family home or small town but can also be a hospital, prison, etc.

Berry’s background as a psychologist shines through in her writing. The narrative is disturbingly realistic and emotionally raw, which drew me in quite easily. However, the writing style leans more functional than lyrical, focusing on advancing the story rather than painting vivid imagery. Which is a choice that suits me well.

What I appreciated most was how the book pulls you in immediately —it’s gripping from the start, with tension that escalates through a series of disturbing revelations. The alternating perspectives of Christopher, Hannah, and Piper (a social worker) offer a well-rounded view of the unfolding problems in a single linear timeline.

Although The Perfect Child is undeniably compelling, I found some sections felt repetitive, and a few character decisions seemed questionable. I still “enjoyed” reading it (as much as a parent can enjoy reading about children with problems).

Fair warning: this book is not for the faint-hearted. The graphic violence and themes of trauma make it a heavy read. There is no romance or sex scenes although there is some swearing present.

So, what about the ending? (No spoilers obviously)

I love my stories to wrap up nicely, with a neat little bow at the end. I like to read a cathartic scene where everything our characters have been through finally pays off physically and emotionally. Then a denouement in another chapter (or chapters) following the characters decompress where things are resolved and I’m left delighted at how well things played out at the end, every plot thread resolved.

The biggest issue I had with this book was that Berry chose an open-ended conclusion, which I felt was abrupt. I wanted more closure, especially after investing in these characters’ harrowing journeys.

Overall, The Perfect Child is great for those readers who crave disturbing domestic thrillers who don’t mind dark, emotionally heavy stories with a lingering sense of unease.

Similar Books to The Perfect Child

  • Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

  • We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

  • The Push by Ashley Audrain

That’s all for this week.

See you next time.

— Diego Dunne

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