Introduction

The book “The Perfect Child” is a fascinating thriller by Dr. Lucinda Berry. I was unsure of what to expect when I started reading “The Perfect Child.” I knew it would be a suspenseful story, but I was not sure how the characters would be developed. I was pleasantly surprised by the characterization of the book. The characters were more three-dimensional than I expected, and their actions kept me guessing throughout the book. I found myself unable to put the book down as I tried to figure out the answer. Ultimately, I was satisfied with the story of the book. If you are looking for a suspenseful read, I recommend ‘The Perfect Child.’ You will not be disappointed.

As a person, I enjoy reading so much. I believe something so profound about books makes me feel relaxed. Whenever I open a book, it surprises me how beautiful words can be or how they can make you feel so sad. It feels like I am diving into someone's thoughts, and maybe I could get a glimpse of their life. For me, books are no less than nicotine. I got so engrossed in this book that it disappointed me when it came to an end. I wanted it to go on and just live through the characters. The characters made me feel emotions like excitement and sadness, and at times I felt happy for the characters. The whole plot kept me engaged and made me question things. It made me curious about the author too. How can someone express emotions so vividly? How did she even think about some of the things that were written? So, let me share my experience.

Janie in ‘The Perfect Child’ - A character of my interest

The character I feel the most curious about is Janie. As I started reading the book, I felt sorry for the little girl. It relieved me to see her safe and among people who adored her. However, the mystery remains. Why was she roaming around in a park covered in blood and with new and old bruises all over her body? It was apparent that something terrible had happened, but what? The blood was not even hers.

Nevertheless, the angry-looking bruises were a different scene. The clues led the police to the trailer park, where they assumed Janie lived. Moreover, to their horror, they found her mother, Becky, lying in a pool of blood. The trailer was a nightmare to look at. The room at the back had ropes and showed how Janie was kept tied inside a dark closet. The scene was hurtful. Who did this to them? Where is Janie's father?

Resolving the mystery in the book ‘The Perfect Child’

Janie was very manipulative and usually lied whenever she had to escape the difficult situations she created. The crocodile tears always worked before Christopher, and Hannah was usually called the uptight one. It created distance between the couple. It was getting more difficult to control her tantrums. So when Piper suggested Dr. Chandler, a therapist, Hannah leaped at the opportunity.

Furthermore, Dr. Chandler detected that she had reactive attachment disorder. Janie was unable to form any emotional attachments, especially regarding women, and it was evident why she hated Hannah so much. They decided to get Janie a pet. Pets usually help in such cases. They help create a bond and have a sense of responsibility towards the pet, so they adopt a cat for Janie. She named him Blue. The cat cheered her up. Her parents were happy to see her bouncing with joy, but it all ran cold when Janie confessed how much she loved hurting Blue and loved it when he screamed in pain. It scared everyone, but no one cared until she brutally killed the cat. It was terrifying to look at. His neck was bent at an odd angle, and blood poured out of his mouth. Janie did not even flinch or show any emotion. It was clear that what Janie had was more than just a disorder.

Hannah was horrified about the whole incident, and after she miraculously found out that she was pregnant, her fear only intensified. How would Janie react when she found out she would have a sibling? What would she do to the child? She killed the blue so quickly that it baffled Hannah. She also started causing trouble in school and was kicked out of every institute.

Furthermore, just when everyone thought she had started settling and having friends, Hannah received a call from school about how Janie abused one of her friends and broke her hand. Her screams pleased Janie, and she seemed satisfied with how she hurt her. It was like before when she used to hurt Blue just because she loved to see him cower in fear. It stressed Hannah so much that she was very close to giving birth and it added to her stress.

So, when Cole was born, Hannah was exhausted all the time. Resting seemed very foreign and having Janie as a daughter did not help much. She was always terrified of leaving Cole with someone. "She will hurt Cole"—that is what she thought about the whole time. Hannah looked horrible as days passed by. She barely sleeps because she fears for her and Cole's safety. But why? Her daughter will not hurt her, will she? Hannah started locking Janie up in her room whenever Christopher was out, but soon he found out, and she had to stop doing it. Hannah's instability was affecting Christopher too. He loved his family and wanted everything to be better, but nothing worked. So after a few days, when Hannah called him and babbled nonsense, he knew something was wrong. His fears came true when he reached home and found his family inside the washroom, all soaked and away from each other, and poor Cole in Hannah's arms with a severe injury on his head. He was not breathing. They took him to the hospital. Hannah never talked but stared at Cole. Janie had a dislocated shoulder. Child services doubted abuse. The kids were put into the custody of Allison, Hannah's sister.

So when it was time for Cole to be taken away, Hannah reacted so aggressively that she soon found herself in the psychiatric ward of a hospital away from town. Hannah had severe depression. The voices in her head wanted her to drown Janie. She was, after all, the evil child. Nevertheless, the guilt of drowning her child was eating away at her.

Moreover, it worsened when she learned that Allison was dead. Nevertheless, how? Janie stood at the top of the stairs as she watched Allison roll down them after they argued. She stood there for 7 minutes and left after that. Janie was sent to a rehabilitation center. She was exceptional, and everyone knew it by now. Christopher had a hard time accepting that maybe his daughter was what everyone thought of her as a psychopath. Maybe if he had paid more attention to her behavior, he would have gotten her help earlier. Those were all manipulative tactics when she chewed off her skin to get what she wanted or cried till she vomited. So it was also shocking when they found Becky's (Janie's real mother) phone and got to know how she videotaped Janie's tantrums and asked for help, but no one gave her a hand. She was still videotaping her when suddenly Janie stabbed her 16 times and smiled at the camera.

Conclusion

“The Perfect Child” was a fantastic book that captivated me until the end. I never knew what to expect, and Janie surprised me. I could not even blame Janie. It was not her fault that her brain worked that way. It was pretty unfortunate. However, it made me curious: Do I have “The Perfect Child” around me? I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a good thriller.