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Perfect Little World: A Novel Paperback – October 24, 2017

4.1 out of 5 stars 1,289 ratings

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Wilson’s ambition alone is exciting. . . . [His] writing has a Houdini-like perfection, wherein no matter how grim the variables, each lovely sentence manages to escape with all its parts intact.” —Boston Globe

The eagerly-anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Family Fang—a warm-hearted and moving story about a young woman making a family on her own terms.

When Isabelle Poole meets Dr. Preston Grind, she’s fresh out of high school, pregnant with her art teacher's baby, and totally on her own. Izzy knows she can be a good mother but without any money or relatives to help, she’s left searching.

Dr. Grind, an awkwardly charming child psychologist, has spent his life studying family, even after tragedy struck his own.  Now, with the help of an eccentric billionaire, he has the chance to create a “perfect little world”—to study what would happen when ten children are raised collectively, without knowing who their biological parents are.  He calls it The Infinite Family Project and he wants Izzy and her son to join.

This attempt at a utopian ideal starts off promising, but soon the gentle equilibrium among the families disintegrates: unspoken resentments between the couples begin to fester; the project's funding becomes tenuous; and Izzy’s growing feelings for Dr. Grind make her question her participation in this strange experiment in the first place.

Written with the same compassion and charm that won over legions of readers with 
The Family Fang, Kevin Wilson shows us with grace and humor that the best families are the ones we make for ourselves.

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From the Publisher

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Perfect Little World Comp Banner
Nothing to See Here
The Family Fang
Baby, You're Gonna Be Mine
Tunneling to the Center of the Earth
Customer Reviews
4.1 out of 5 stars 18,590
3.9 out of 5 stars 2,052
4.1 out of 5 stars 339
4.3 out of 5 stars 301
Price $14.69 $13.59 $12.23 $17.41

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A good story, and even better storytelling.” — John Irving, The New York Times Book Review

“Wild. . . . [A] provocative read.” — People

“Charming. . . . Wilson pulls off his sweet-and-tart tone. . . . The novel delights in the project’s Willy Wonkaesque sense of antic chaos.” — Washington Post

“Delicious. . . . Wilson is such an inventive and witty writer. . . . [His] ‘perfect little world’ of a novel pretty much lives up to its title.” — NPR

“Persistently compassionate. . . . Wilson’s best moments are funny and earnest. . . . [His] crisp language and smart plotting make Perfect Little World immensely likable and absolutely enjoyable.” — GQ

“Quirky. . . . Wilson’s Perfect Little World finds its bliss in the vast disconnect between people’s best intentions and where they land.” — Entertainment Weekly

“The sheer energy of imagination in Wilson’s work makes other writers of realistic fiction look lazy. . . . The novel’s grand finale . . . reminds us that not everything unpredictable is painful or bad, and that conventional arrangements have no monopoly on the profound connections that make family.” — Newsday

“Family is far more than a biological bond; that’s not a groundbreaking idea. But Wilson has found a lovely new way of telling readers something they know by heart.” — Houston Chronicle

“The compensation is a greater richness in the characters, and a refreshingly un-ironic attitude toward love — Knoxville News-Sentinel

“Wilson does an incredible job of telling a compelling story while addressing important social issues. . . . Thought-provoking. — Deep South Magazine

“In light and lively prose that practically tap dances on the page, Wilson shrewdly probes the intricate tensions and machinations that lie at the core of this eccentric family unit. . . . A provocative and uplifting read.” — Bookpage

“Stellar. . . . Compelling. . . . Realer and wiser and sadder and eventually reassuring about human nature than dozens of other novels.” — Booklist, Starred Review

“Bittersweet. . . . Wilson delves into the drama and tensions inherent in this strange aquarium. . . . A moving and sincere reflection on what it truly means to be a family — Kirkus, Starred Review

“Sweet and thoroughly satisfying. . . . Wilson grounds his premise in credible human motivations and behavior, resulting in a memorable cast of characters.” — Publishers Weekly

“[A] moving novel about love, parenting, and the families we create for ourselves.” — Library Journal

From the Back Cover

Kevin Wilson’s anticipated follow-up to The Family Fang, Perfect Little World is a warm-hearted and emotional story about a young woman charting her own course.

 

“[A] moving novel about love, parenting, and the families we create for ourselves.” —Library Journal

 

When Isabelle Poole meets Dr. Preston Grind, she’s fresh out of high school, pregnant with her art teacher's baby, and totally on her own. Izzy knows she can be a good mother but without any money or relatives to help, she’s left searching.

Dr. Grind, an awkwardly charming child psychologist, has spent his life studying family, even after tragedy struck his own.  Now, with the help of an eccentric billionaire, he has the chance to create a “perfect little world”—to study what would happen when ten children are raised collectively, without knowing who their biological parents are.  He calls it The Infinite Family Project and he wants Izzy and her son to join.


This attempt at a utopian ideal starts off promising, but soon the gentle equilibrium among the families disintegrates: unspoken resentments between the couples begin to fester; the project's funding becomes tenuous; and Izzy’s growing feelings for Dr. Grind make her question her participation in this strange experiment in the first place.

Written with the same compassion and charm that won over legions of readers with 
The Family Fang, Kevin Wilson shows us with grace and humor that the best families are the ones we make for ourselves.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ecco; Reprint edition (October 24, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062450344
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062450340
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.79 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 1,289 ratings

About the author

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Kevin Wilson
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Kevin Wilson is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels, including Now Is Not the Time to Panic, Nothing to See Here and The Family Fang; as well as two story collections. His work has received the Shirley Jackson Award and been selected as a Read With Jenna Book Club pick. He lives in Sewanee, Tennessee, with his wife and two sons.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
1,289 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging with well-developed characters and a quick pace. Moreover, they appreciate the study of an alternate family dynamic, with one customer noting it as a thought-provoking exploration of nature vs. nurture. Additionally, the book receives positive feedback for its readability, with one customer mentioning it's suitable for book club discussions.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

27 customers mention "Story quality"20 positive7 negative

Customers find the story engaging, with one customer particularly appreciating the many subplots and another noting how the weirdness is entertaining.

"...written characters that feel realer-than-life and a story that's full of heart and what it means to be a family in a dysfunctional environment...." Read more

"...It starts with the compelling story of a young woman who is very bright and very alone...." Read more

"...The weirdness is entertaining but the excellence of his writing and the characterizations of those he writes about are brilliant. ." Read more

"...I appreciated the background on Izzy...." Read more

21 customers mention "Readability"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and fun to read, noting that it kept their attention throughout. One customer mentions it's a good discussion book for book clubs.

"Another masterfully written book by Kevin Wilson...." Read more

"...Still I'm glad I read this book, and it certainly held my attention throughout. This next part contains spoilers...." Read more

"Really enjoyed this book, would have loved it to have been another 200-300 pages longer with more closure at the end but it was great...." Read more

"...I found the book a fun read that got a bit laggy at times, but it could have been my situation of being stuck on a train rather than the book itself...." Read more

15 customers mention "Character development"12 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one noting it provides an interesting look at human nature.

"...His humanity shines through once again in his brilliantly written characters that feel realer-than-life and a story that's full of heart and what it..." Read more

"...The vast of characters is huge and they are introduced with enough details that you think something will happen with them, but it never does." Read more

"Loved the premise—so original. The the main characters were well developed and layered...." Read more

"I really enjoyed this book. The main character was interesting and delightful...." Read more

12 customers mention "Insight"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, particularly appreciating its study of alternate family dynamics and nature vs. nurture concepts.

"...Izzy is smart and beautiful (of course!) yet wants nothing for herself. Unrealistic! She has no tragic flaws to make her human and layered...." Read more

"...This was both a funny and insightful book at the same time...." Read more

"...The Family Fang--again, excellently written--and weird. Just finished Perfect Little World--well written, interesting concept...." Read more

"...That would make them easier to keep track of. Higlhly readable, thought-provoking and entertaining." Read more

8 customers mention "Writing quality"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well written and easy to read.

"...His writing is easy to absorb and images crisp, often described in refreshing terms...." Read more

"...It was a simple read too that drew me into the situation...." Read more

"...The weirdness is entertaining but the excellence of his writing and the characterizations of those he writes about are brilliant. ." Read more

"...would have been fleshed out a little more, I think it was better written this way. It was nice meeting all the participants in the experiment...." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, describing it as well-paced and quick-moving.

"...On the plus side, the book is always moving forward, but it feels more like meaningless and unconnected action rather than the accumulation of ever-..." Read more

"...Nothing to See Here...also fast-paced and engaging. I rolled the dice and figured Perfect Little World would be a fun read. I lost that gamble...." Read more

"Really liked the characters in this book.story moved quickly and kept me up late reading, I like happy endings so this was a good read for me." Read more

"Quick and easy read..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2021
    Another masterfully written book by Kevin Wilson. His humanity shines through once again in his brilliantly written characters that feel realer-than-life and a story that's full of heart and what it means to be a family in a dysfunctional environment. It's a book that you wish it didn't have an end.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2017
    As Stephen King says, start your story with an interesting situation. Here, the author succeeds by creating an experimental Infinite Family, 10 babies and their parents living as one, mostly in solitude for a period of ten years. Too bad the characters aren't as interesting as the situation. Still I'm glad I read this book, and it certainly held my attention throughout.

    This next part contains spoilers. Where the book fell short, at least for me, is it seemed to buckle under the weight of its own overly-wide scope. The book has so many characters and took place over such an extended period of time that each new layer of suspense quickly evaporated. The main character, Izzy, lives with 18 other parents, most of whom are completely indistinguishable from one another. What did Susan (or Jill or X or Y or Z) look like or want out of life? Who knows? With over 30 stick characters (19 parents + 10 brats + 4 researchers + others) are impossible to keep track of. Or care about.

    In the first few years of living with her experimental family, Izzy drunkenly hooks up with one of the husbands (just making out), but then there's no post-make-out awkwardness or sexual tension. Izzy corners the Infinite Family's founder and head researcher, planting a kiss on Dr Grind, which is somewhat reciprocated, but again, nothing seems to come of it. What does Izzy think of Dr Grind as the years slowly boil on - does she have hot dreams about him? Don't know! Izzy takes art classes and attracts the attention of some damaged hunk, but again, nothing. One of the research fellows hooks up with one of the fathers and becomes pregnant, which sets up conflict of whether this younger 11th child should be allowed to join the family. Interesting, but again, just a loose end. Passion without consequences. Sex without tension - yawn! Izzy's son Cap starts to look like and take on characteristics of Hal, the crazy art teacher who impregnated Izzy before she graduated from high school, and who later killed himself before Izzy gives birth to Cap. Interesting, but again nothing comes of it. Later in the book, many women admit to Izzy that they hated her early on, yet again, nothing comes of it. Dr. Grind likes to cut himself but there's never any tension that he's going to snap and hurt himself. Or somebody else.

    On the plus side, the book is always moving forward, but it feels more like meaningless and unconnected action rather than the accumulation of ever-building plot. The pieces don't pile together and burst in to some final "ah ha" reveal. Given the great situation the author creates, the reader is hoping/praying that what happens within the astro-turf complex will be more surprising and imaginative, not just somebody drank too much, somebody got stoned, somebody had an affair, one person hated another person, all kids ate their marshmallow in a nanosecond. What happens in the complex should be eerily fascinating or mind-bendingly scary - but it wasn't. Given all the talk about death, I kept hoping the book would slowly boil in to some creepy weirdness, where one or more characters slowly go off the rails as a result of the unique cult-like situation. When there's a hint that the fish were killed, I was like FINALLY something juicy is about to pop. I was even hoping Cap would turn out to be the disturbed goldfish serial killer. But everyone's so normal they are boring.

    Izzy is smart and beautiful (of course!) yet wants nothing for herself. Unrealistic! She has no tragic flaws to make her human and layered. The author is so busy planting a wide garden of character flowers that Izzy never blooms. Dr Grind is a little more intriguing, especially childhood recollections of the constant friction parenting under which he was raised by his duo-psychiatrist parents (Frasier and Lilith, anyone?). Another high point is the author's rendering of art teacher Hal who gives his teenage student-girlfriend Izzy something like $50 as a graduation gift, then makes her pay for their movie date, where he behaves like a first rate borderline personality ass before he's yanked off the novel's stage, only to hopefully have his quirky personality reappear in the couple's son. Great characterization of Izzy's leading men.

    And what does it all mean? What's the big take away about families, or love, or death, or parenthood, or experimentation? Um, not sure. Here the author maybe could have tied how Izzy and Preston end up as some counter point to the constant friction method Preston grew up under, but no, just another loose end. To the extent the conclusion of a novel is suppose to be the single outcome that wraps it all up in a true yet unexpected way, the book falls way short. It's like the author started out on this fabulous path with no idea where the story would end, so it ended sort of nowhere. It just petered out in a way that was so predictable I would have bet money against the obvious.

    Writing a novel is incredibly tough. I think the author has real talent and must have put a ton of work in to this book. His writing is easy to absorb and images crisp, often described in refreshing terms. Yet I feel like he held back on showing us a closer look at how twisted people can be when living in a small and crowded cage, which would have been more fun to read (and probably more fun to write!). It's much more gripping to witness one insect fidget and squirm under the glare of the microscope than to watch slow tunnels forming inside the ant farm. I look forward to seeing what Wilson writes next. I just hope he lets loose and really hits it out of the ballpark.

    There were some great high points in "Perfect Little World," enough so to hold my interest. I enjoyed this book and have put Wilson on my radar screen of authors to watch.
    25 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2020
    This book was recommended on a blog that I read, but I felt it didn't live up to its promise. It starts with the compelling story of a young woman who is very bright and very alone. She has an affair with her high school teacher, a wealthy and troubled artist. Then that entire back story goes away and she agrees to take part in a social experiment to provide a direction for her life and support for the child she had with the teacher. The experiment goes wrong, but not very dramatically, and everyone finds their own happiness. The vast of characters is huge and they are introduced with enough details that you think something will happen with them, but it never does.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2023
    Really enjoyed this book, would have loved it to have been another 200-300 pages longer with more closure at the end but it was great. Very much recommend.
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2017
    I recently took a trip to NYC and brought Perfect Little World on the train with me, after hearing about it on Book Riot and then seeing it as a choice for Book of the Month. I figured fate was telling me it was time to pull this one out of the To Be Read pile and into the Currently Reading pile. Yes, I have a pile of books that I am currently reading. This was a great little book to take on a trip and was just a fun read.

    The book centers on Izzy who is sleeping with her art teacher in HS in Part 1 of the book. She is the top of her class, but wants to fail, so she doesn't have to give the valedictorian speech. She has a disconnected father and works in a BBQ shop where her manager is her father figure. As one can guess, Izzy becomes pregnant with her teacher's baby and he takes off on her. Lost and really alone, she runs into Dr. Grind.

    Grind is a psychologist who is about to start a study on communal living. Parents will care for each other's children and the children will not know who their biological parents are until later on in the experiment. The cost for Izzy is 10 years of her and her child's life, but all expenses are paid and she will get a free college education.

    Part 2 is each year of the experiment. I won't spoil it, but one can guess things will not run smoothly. There will be difficulty with some parents letting others raise their child, family issues, sexual tension, and a whole slew of other issues that happen when people are thrown together for long periods of time. The interesting thing is this is normal for their children since this is their lives, so they do not know there are problems. Can the program survive all of this with individual personalities running amok?

    This was both a funny and insightful book at the same time. While the focus should be on the children and what will become of the them, the real experiment happens with the adults. Izzy is a single parent too in the midst of families who signed up for this, so she is always the outsider in terms of being the youngest and single, so her perspective will always be different. So, it is nice to travel with Izzy as our narrator.

    The fun is seeing how bad this experiment gets. It doesn't get outrageous in the sense of diverging from reality, but it is very real as in what happens when one couple wants to divorce one another mid experiment? Or what about living in community where your wife isn't your own wife or husband isn't your only husband? While couples are expected to stay with one another, what happens when alcohol is introduced?

    I found the book a fun read that got a bit laggy at times, but it could have been my situation of being stuck on a train rather than the book itself. It was a simple read too that drew me into the situation. While the couples got jumbled a bit, part of that was the point as Izzy acknowledges that she can't remember everyone's name all the time. The children are the background of the book and aren't really developed except for Cap, Izzy's child. They are just there to keep the experiment going.

    I gave this one 4 stars.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2019
    Have read three of his novels--started with Nothing to See Here--a real gem--and weird. The Family Fang--again, excellently written--and weird. Just finished Perfect Little World--well written, interesting concept. The weirdness is entertaining but the excellence of his writing and the characterizations of those he writes about are brilliant. .
    7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Readist
    3.0 out of 5 stars I like Kevin Wilson
    Reviewed in Canada on March 7, 2018
    I like Kevin Wilson, but this was actually slightly boring. You wouldn't think the subject matter could get boring, but it was a bit predictable and the ending was a bit Hollywood. Even so, the guy can write.