“Moving… This is definitely not a story of plucky women banding together to fix up a chilly home… [Shattuck’s] achievement – beyond unfolding a plot that surprises and devastates – is in her subtle exploration of what a moral righteousness…looks like in the aftermath of the war, when communities and lives must be rebuilt, together.”

“Perfect Life is a vivid, fascinating snapshot of the way some of us live now. Jessica Shattuck’s engrossing, deceptively ambitious novel explores a wide range of subjects — from the logistics of adultery and the complexities of friendship to the nuts and bolts of video game design and pharmaceutical marketing — with a shrewd and sympathetic eye.”

“A witty and promising first novel…[Shattuck’s] descriptive brio can leave the reader punchy with surprise and admiration.”