Perfect People by Peter James

Author : Peter James
Title : Perfect People
Published : 2011
Publisher : Pan
Pages : 608
Genre : Thriller / Science Fiction

     John and Naomi Klaesson are grieving the death of their four-year-old son from a rare genetic disorder. They desperately want another child, but when they find out they are both carriers of a rogue gene, they realize the odds of their next child contracting the disease are high. Then they hear about geneticist Doctor Leo Dettore. He has methods that can spare them the heartache of ever losing another child to any disease - even if his methods cost more than they can afford. His clinic is where their nightmare begins. They should have realized that something was wrong when they saw the list. Choices of eye color, hair, sporting abilities. They can literally design their child. Now it's too late to turn back. Naomi is pregnant, and already something is badly wrong... 

     When reaching for this book I realized it is not something I would usually pick up. It is not too often that I even consider science fiction. I suppose in part tales of the future hold little interest for me. So why then did I go for this one. I liked that although it is classed as science fiction it is all within the realms of possibility. The events that take place within this book are not too far fetched. And the science that is used is within the thoughts of scientists working today. Gene manipulation and D.N.A hacking is something that has come up more and more in the news. All though I have no children of my own when reading this book I to questioned what I would not do for them. How far would any of us go to ensure they have a healthy and long life. Would any of us not at least entertain the ideas of our heroes. 

     The Klaesson's feel like any real family trying to struggle with the death of their child. I to grieved along with them as they try and come to terms with what has befallen them. Anyone with a beating heart has to surely. But it is only with the wisps of hope from far away do things seem to turn around for them. There is a lot to take in as we follow them on the journey, as the author lays out his story there is a lot of ideas to take in. The processes a complicated and the choices these parents are given are complex and can have long-lasting side effects. What would you choose to keep from you and your partner's genetic makeup?  Do you, in fact, start from the ground up trying to build the perfect child, if such a thing exist.  Or do you only take away the things that could lead to an early death? I felt my self grappling along with these questions as much as our heroes.  There's is by no means an easy path. In the world of fiction, this author has managed to grapple with some very big and difficult questions of morals and ethics. I was left so surprised by the soul searching this book entices in the reader. 

     For me, it felt that the story manages to stay within the realms of possibility as much as I could want from it. While there are certain aspects that do stretch out to the edges, I felt it was done in the name of the story and to be honest it keeps the tension built up in what is a brilliant story. This is, after all, a globe-trotting thriller. You could say that it would have been easy to have kept it close to life with a book that traverses a much greater time span and yes that would be true. But I feel that in the end, the author told the story he wanted to with all the loose ends being tied up what more could I ask for. With all this going on there is a lot to take in, and whilst it is a long book at over six hundred pages long to me it never felt like there where any parts that were slung in to drag out the story. This is a book that must have been meticulously plotted out. It also shows that a great deal of time was given over to finding out just where the science of creating the perfect child is at. I must confess I did do a bit of google just out of curiosity. I think that whilst this book was written a good few years ago the author was not all that far off from where we find our selves today.

     So all in all for me at least I don't think I could have really asked for any more. It is a book about just how far any of us would go as parents to protect our children even if they haven't been born yet. It was defiantly a little more creepy than I had at first thought. Which is odd given the subject matter you would have thought it would have been obvious. It is on the other hand still heartwarming to bear witness to the Klaesson's struggles as the fight to give their children the best they could. Maybe given that the lost the first child it all meant that the fire inside them burnt all that bit brighter. And with a truly bittersweet ending, you can safely put your trust not only in this book but also in the author.