Kate Grenville
The Idea of Perfection
"An arch is two
weaknesses which together make a strength."
. . . Leonardo da Vinci
The Idea of Perfection
(1999) is about two people
who seem the least likely in the world to fall in love. Douglas Cheeseman
is an awkward engineer, the sort of divorced man you'd never look at
twice. Harley Savage is a big, plain, abrasive woman who's been through
three husbands and doesn't want another. Both of them bring all kinds of
unhappy baggage to their meeting in the little town of Karakarook, New
South Wales, population 1,374.
Being in Karakarook is something of a voyage of discovery for both of
them. Unlike Felicity Porcelline, a woman dangerously haunted by the idea
of perfection, they come to understand that what looks like weakness can
be the best kind
of strength.
The
Idea of Perfection was a surprise winner of the Orange
Prize, Britain’s richest literary prize, in 2001.
To find out more about
The Idea of
Perfection, use the links at left.