The Perfect Son, written by Frieda McFadden, is a psychological thriller with an ending that you will not see coming.
If you have ever read We Need to Talk About Kevin, this book resembles the storyline to an extent. Ericka Cass lives what you think is a perfect life on suburban Long Island. She is mostly a stay-at-home mom, making part-time money writing small articles for The Nassau Nutshell. Her husband is the breadwinner, working in Manhattan. Her son Liam is both utterly handsome and charming, and her daughter is your typical teenage girl.
While we do learn of Liam’s strange past with odd behaviors, we are still captivated by his intelligence, well-roundedness and charisma.
After a high school girl who Liam is fond of goes missing, two detectives appear at Ericka’s door claiming Liam, the last to see the girl alive, is a suspect. Ericka is torn on what to believe. She desperately wants to believe her son is innocent, but is constantly reminded of his haunting past.
While the overall story had a great foundation with an interesting family dynamic, there were a few far-fetched moments. The story was rather cliché, and attempted by many authors, but McFadden has a way in presenting her story with curiosity. As you absorb the story, you are willing to walk alongside Ericka as she digs at getting to the bottom of the mystery. The ending, although not the most original, will still manage to leave you in suspense due to the author’s natural talent and passion for her characters.
The characters themselves remain kind of stagnant, as far as development goes. McFadden makes you want to turn the page, but the characters don’t seem as eager. Regardless, it’s a very easy read that will leave you feeling accomplished after reading it for a night, two tops.
If anything, The Perfect Son has inspired me to explore McFadden’s other works– reviews to come!
