There is this saying: Don’t judge a book by its cover, right?
But, guys! In a Perfect World by Trish Doller can absolutely be judged by its cover, I mean, have you seen it?! Absolutely amazing, and tranquilizing. Let me tell you, this book… It’s PERFECT. It has been quite a while since I came across a book that had me going. It’s addictive and it’s one of these books that once you have in your hands, you don’t put it back down until it’s done.
I am a huge fan of Trish Doller who has outdone herself in this book, but this is not a biased review, I promise (maybe it is, can’t help it!).
Trish’s style in writing is easy and pleasing. The plot, the characters, the obstacles, and the strengths are masterly planted and she has left them for the readers to reap.
So, it’s a young adult contemporary about a seventeen-year-old Caroline Kelly, a teenage girl who is about to leave her home city Ohio and travel to Egypt where her mom’s dream job at an eye clinic called OneVision has come true.
Caroline is unsettled and doesn’t know what to expect in the country she is flying to. It’s totally different than her home, in terms of culture, political ideology, religion and traditions.
As you read you start to collect the bits and pieces of the story, it’s hilarious, intriguing and captivating.
What I loved most about this book are basically three things: character growth and maturity, dealing with problems the world was/is and probably will be facing, and how much effort was put in this book.
Now, let’s break ’em down!
Character growth and maturity.
Caroline is such a loving and an understanding person but given her age, she can only process this much. As the story goes, you start to notice how she’s learnt to deal with all the given situations she’s gone through. Also, when she falls for Adam (oh! Adam), you can certainly notice the way she begins to think before she acts. How she indulges all his traits and personality while keeping her own in check, being confident about herself and that he doesn’t affect her in any way belief-wise.
I, personally, think that if I were ever to compare between her relationship with Adam and her Ex-boyfriend, Owen. I – and again, this is all me, it might be different for you – can see clearly how her relationship with Owen is really just teenage-y (if I might say) while her relationship with Adam is more mature, more loving, more giving. You can see these two getting married at some point, but I can’t do this with her and Owen. Not that there is something wrong with Owen, he is great! But when you read the story, he is still just a kid. I have to thank Trish for this, for demonstrating the difference between the two relationships with little details that makes you see the whole picture crystal clear.
Moving on to the next thing I loved: Dealing with problems the world is facing.
Trish, aka the ingenious writer, has infused diverse point of views about bigotry, cultural differences and ignorance.
Let’s take three characters as an example. First, there is Caroline’s mom, who is a cautious person, after all, it’s a whole new world for her and her family, but who is also open to it, understanding of the culture and has a mild background of the people and the country. Second, there is the best friend, Hannah, an amazing person (everybody should be a friend like Hannah) who doesn’t know anything about the country or the people and holds nothing against them. Third, there is grandma Irene (who is honestly my least favorite character), who is an absolute racist who believes that all Muslims are suicide bombers and filled with hatred towards any other religion.
The fact that Trish was able to put many characters in the book and be able to deliver many point of views depending on the character is just mind-blowing. So, I appreciate it a lot.
The last point (sadly. I wish I could just go on and on and on to talk about everything in this book because there is so much I left out, things that truly grew on me but yeah…)
How much effort was put in this book.
I know, I know, all the writers put tremendous effort in their books, but, this one is just different. I have reached out to Trish on tumblr and asked her if she is ever been to Egypt and I was honestly shocked when she said no! I was like, you have got to be kidding me. It is difficult to believe that this book was solely written based on the amount of research she has made, and the people who answered her questions! I mean, some things would turn out to be right and others would slip but na-ah. She was accurate, and on point. I am still convinced that she has been to Egypt because of all the little details, she has mentioned in her book. Hats off to you, Trish.
So, my friends, to sum it all up. GO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW.
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