A craving for love

Picture Perfect, Jodi Picoult, Hodder

A fairy-tale romance, a tragic flaw, a nasty twist, an exposure of the reality behind the façade, a crucial decision, an acceptance of one's mixed origins, all merge to create Picture Perfect, another of Jodie Picoult's masterpieces.
Like Picoult's other novels, this one, too, is superbly crafted. Apart from the story, which is very engrossing, is the author's incisive understanding of the frailties of human nature.
Lots of stories have been written about the battering numerous women endure in their relationships, particularly marriage; many more will, no doubt, be written. In this novel, the whys and wherefores of the victim's passive reaction, as well as the aggressor's irrational behavior stemming from certain insecurities have been deftly dealt with. Picoult's uncanny ability to look into the psyche of both the battered and the "batterer", is truly admirable.
Cassie Barrett, an anthropologist by profession, and an incurable romantic by nature, experiences both the heights of happiness and the depths of sorrow in her marriage. She seems to have found true love in her life with Alex Rivers, a handsome, charming matinee idol. Sadly, she also gets pain and disillusionment of the worst kind into the bargain because of her husband's violent streak. Time and again, she gets hit, pushed and kicked, and each time she forgives him, for she loves him deeply (with all his faults) and is more concerned about his suffering than her own.
There are many extremely happy moments in Cassie's married life, but the painful moments render them meaningless. Confused and hurt, Cassie feels at a loss about what steps to take. After recurrent bouts of Alex's violence (followed always by his penitence), Cassie forces herself to face facts; and to save her unborn baby, she runs away.
Picoult makes the dilemma in her stories heart-wrenching. Her plots are never predictable. Parts fit into one another in ways we can't foresee. It is the remarkable way in which this writer handles subtle, as well, palpable emotions, that set her apart from her contemporaries. She excels in characterization and traces significant events in her characters' lives which explain, to a large extent, why they do what they do (or don't do), and why they are the way they are. Cassie's childhood, for instance, had been very troubled because of an alcoholic mother. Hence her craving for love (even at high prices)!
Another interesting feature in the book is the Red Indian connection. The spirituality of the Sioux, manifested through their customs, beliefs and rites, is fascinatingly interspersed in the story. William Flying Horse, who is a half Red-Indian and an LAPD Cop, finds Cassie in a cemetery. She suffers from temporary amnesia and tries hard to recall her past and her own identity. Will, on the other hand, wants to forget his roots (eventually, though, he is happy about his Indian self). From the moment Will meets Cassie, his life, inexplicably, seems to be bound up with hers. Later, we see his deep, selfless love for her expressed through a rigorous ritual which turns out to be an unforgettable part of the book.
As Cassie's memory gradually returns (after Alex locates her and takes her home), she discovers truths that get increasingly difficult to bear. The complex life of a wealthy and popular film hero, made even more difficult because of a harsh, unsympathetic father and an unhappy childhood, is portrayed very imaginatively, yet realistically. Alex, for example, always becomes the character he is playing in a film.
We know we are right in being furious with Alex for beating his wife black and blue, but like Cassie, we also face the danger of ending up feeling sorry for him for his total lack of control over his temper. The typical battering, then being abject and loving, gives us an insight into the behavioural pattern of people like Alex (who are far more in number than we think).
Will takes Cassie to his Indian grandparents who give her and her second unborn baby (the first pregnancy having ended in a miscarriage) shelter. Cassie gets attached to the "rolling plains" of the reservation in Pine Ridge, and feels "free". She gives birth to a baby whom she manes Connor (after her childhood love which is another poignant part of the book). She goes back to Alex only to have the past repeat itself. For some days, things are fine and Alex seems to have changed for the better. They go for counseling (at least Cassie does), to try and make things better.
When Alex hits Cassie yet again (and for no fault of hers, whatsoever), she walks out. What she does after that, how and with whose support she does it, are things readers can find out through the writer's discourse, and, in the process, enjoy the sheer power of her narrative skill.
Nausheen Rahman is a teacher and critic.