The story was set in a small town in Arkansas in the 1950s. A mother's yearning for a daughter causes her to do the unthinkable after giving birth to her seventh son. She decides to raise the son as a girl, who she names Perfect. The Peace family is special and gifted yet the times force them to work hard and walk the straight and narrow until they can't any longer. The emotions this books evokes and the depth of the characters make it surprisingly believable.
My heart went out to Perfect when the truth was revealed because of how raw and harsh it was. I couldn't even begin to imagine how confusing it was to find out who you thought you were was nothing but a lie. And most of all, for everyone to know because all the ribbons, dresses and frills have been stripped away. Perfect went from being loved and adored and treated special to being ridiculed, talked about and treated as if he was a freak. No longer perfect, now he must navigate through gender issues, sexuality, and societal values to become the man he was born to be.
Emma Jean, the mother, had her own demons that she dealt with as a woman and it reflected on her relationship with her husband, Gus and her children. She truly felt that having a daughter would give her a chance to prove her worth as well as allow her to relive a childhood she didn't have. Overall, she was a miserable woman who never grew up or let go of her past pains to see the pains she caused to those who loved her the most.
The writing technique mostly focused on the present moment yet, there were a few times when dealing with the brothers that the author gave an overview of how/where their life proceeds once they leave the house, almost as a rites of passage since they were no longer "main" characters, even though they remained within the present storyline just not as prominent. Interesting technique!
