Perfect Little World

Book excerpt: "Stellar . . . Compelling . . . Realer and wiser and sadder and eventually reassuring about human nature than dozens of other novels." Booklist 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. PRAISE FOR KEVIN WILSON "Wilson's novel is, more than anything else, a comment on social construct. On top of looking at outward factors to blame, this novel also asks us to look inward.. Wilson's intriguing, dystopian world leaves us with one moral that rings true for all families: whether created or born into - they are never perfect, but they are everything." The National Post "The author of The Family Fang invents another unusual family structure for his sweet and thoroughly satisfying second novel...Wilson grounds his premise in credible human motivations and behavior, resulting in a memorable cast of characters. He uses his intriguing premise to explore the meaning of family and the limits of rational decision making." Publisher's Weekly "Like an animated Edward Gorey cartoon, with a more realistic contemporary setting and a warmer, lighter touch ... Wilson pulls off his sweet-and-tart tone with a soupcon of unexpected spice." Washington Post "Persistently compassionate. . . . Wilson's best moments are funny and earnest . . . crisp language and smart plotting make Perfect Little World immensely likable and absolutely enjoyable." GQ