"Perfection" by Vincenzo Latronico - Book Review
Summary
"A scathing, provocative novel about contemporary existence by a rising star in Italian literature.
Anna and Tom, an expat couple, have fashioned a dream life for themselves in Berlin. They are young digital "creatives" exploring the excitements of the city, freelancers without too many constraints, who spend their free time cultivating house plants and their images online. At first, they reasonably deduce that they've turned their passion for aesthetics into a viable, even enviable career, but the years go by, and Anna and Tom grow bored. As their friends move back home or move on, so their own work and sex life--and the life of Berlin itself--begin to lose their luster. An attempt to put their politics into action fizzles in embarrassed self-doubt. Edging closer to forty, they try living as digital nomads only to discover that, wherever they go, "the brand of oat milk in their flat whites was the same."
Perfection--Vincenzo Latronico's first book to be translated into English--is a scathing novel about contemporary existence, a tale of two people gradually waking up to find themselves in various traps, wondering how it all came to be. Was it a lack of foresight, or were they just born too late?"
Review
This short novel is essential for analysing the psychological state of our generation. It centres on a liberal couple of web designers living in Berlin, exploring the impact of their symbiosis with technology on their souls—both in their work and personal lives. The story addresses the constant uncertainty regarding concrete aspects of life, such as rent and friendships. The tension present in the narrative is something that resonates deeply with young people today, making it an exploration free from judgment or definitive solutions. However, it can be a depressing read, as the “perfect” lives the characters lead feel immensely shallow. They seem to be missing the meaningful experiences that can truly enrich the soul and our existence in this world.
Key Takeaways
- Incredible psychological assessment of our age
- A contemporary classic
- Exploration of the shallowness of our modern world
Who Should Read This
Readers interested in short novels that offer great psychological depth and character exploration, particularly those who feel disconnected from our technological world.
Favourite Quotes
"This passion of theirs wasn’t learned. It was a natural consequence of the context in which they had grown up."
"They, too, longed for something else, a difference they couldn’t find at home; they, too, felt that need for abundance."
"The world around them offered such an exciting image of how their sex life could be."
"They couldn’t put their finger on exactly what it was they craved, but they knew it was very different to what they had."
"They were driven by the urgency of the humanitarian crisis, of course, but also by the feeling that something was taking place around them that they didn’t want to miss, an outstanding rendezvous with history."
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5 stars)