Rachel Joyce

In 1972, two seconds were added to time. It was in order to balance clock time with the movement of the earth. Byron Hemming knows this because James Lowe has told him and James is the cleverest boy at school. But how can time change? The steady movement of hands around a clock is as certain as their golden futures. Then Byron's mother, late for the school run, makes a devastating mistake. Byron's perfect world is shattered. Were those two extra seconds to blame? Can what follows ever be set right?

Perfect

Cindy Lieberman

Nadine 

Not my favourite Rachel Joyce book and struggled to the end. The book is a literal car crash where you just know everything is going to work out horribly and it does.

Amy Buckle

Perfect is a novel set in 1972, when two seconds were added to time in order to counteract the irregularities in the Earth’s rate of rotation. Eleven year old boy, Byron Hemming and his friend James Lowe both know this, but Byron is haunted by it and can’t understand how time could change. Then one day, Byron witnesses a disastrous mistake made by his mother while on their way back from school. Unsure whether the extra seconds were to blame for this, Byron and James begin “Operation Perfect” to try and help Byron’s mother avoid her imminent fate. We are also introduced to Jim, a middle aged man in the present day. Struggling to maintain his job cleaning tables in a cafe while coping with the crushing reality of OCD, Joyce presents a unique character who is haunted by his past. While the two stories seem unrelated at first, as the plot develops we are made aware of why they are interlinked.

Perfect is beautifully written. It tackles the interesting and unique perspective of a character who has OCD, and gives the reader an insightful view... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk...

Sara Käfer 

Alistair James

Meryn Kae Addison

Sara Holman

Marianna Avetisyan

In 1972, two seconds were added to time. It was in order to balance clock time with the movement of the earth. Byron Hemming knows this because James Lowe has told him and James is the cleverest boy at school. But how can time change? The steady movement of hands around a clock is as certain as their golden futures.Then Byron's mother, late for the school run, makes a devastating mistake. Byron's perfect world is shattered. Were those two extra seconds to blame? Can what follows ever be set right?

Lea de Sousa

Meghan Truskowski

‘It is her clever did-I-read-that-right twist at the end that really got to me and had me scrabbling through the chapters, open-mouthed.’ Evening Standard Summer, 1972: In the claustrophobic heat, eleven-year-old Byron and his friend begin ‘Operation Perfect’, a hapless mission to rescue Byron’s mother from impending crisis. Winter, present day: As frost creeps across the moor, Jim cleans tables in the local café, a solitary figure struggling with OCD. His job is a relief from the rituals that govern his nights. Little would seem to connect them except that two seconds can change everything. And if your world can be shattered in an instant, can time also put it right?

Perfect

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