The Imperfects: About the Book
The Millers are far from perfect. Estranged siblings Beck, Ashley and Jake find themselves under one roof for the first time in years, forced to confront old resentments and betrayals, when their mysterious, eccentric matriarch, Helen, passes away. But their lives are about to change when they find a secret inheritance hidden among her possessions—the Florentine Diamond, a 137-carat yellow gemstone that went missing from the Austrian Empire a century ago.
Desperate to learn how one of the world’s most elusive diamonds ended up in Helen’s bedroom, they begin investigating her past only to realize how little they know about their brave, resilient grandmother. As the Millers race to determine whether they are the rightful heirs to the diamond and the fortune it promises, they uncover a past more tragic and powerful than they ever could have imagined, forever changing their connection to their heritage and each other.
Inspired by the true story of the real, still-missing Florentine Diamond, The Imperfects illuminates the sacrifices we make for family and how sometimes discovering the truth of the past is the only way to better the future.
The Review
“The Imperfects” is about, you guessed it, an imperfect family struggling with an imperfect situation. Meyerson developed a nuanced cast of characters who bring their own set of family baggage to this mystery meets historical fiction. Each character is a necessary part of the story, told from multiple perspectives. There is:
- Helen, the matriarch who is the catalyst of the mystery. She is the only character that you don’t hear from.
- Her estranged daughter Deborah, who has a strained relationship with her children. You will find out if the mystery surrounding her mother and her childhood brings her family back together or not.
- Beck, the loner in the family, she is also the character who brings her entire family into her discovery.
- Ashley, Deborah’s eldest daughter and someone who is harbouring family secrets of her own.
- Jake, Deborah’s son, whose one-hit wonder of a screenplay drove a wedge into his family. Will Helen’s death bring him back into the fold? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
The family pulls together and vows to trace the history of the Florentine Diamond as foreign entities demand the return of the storied gem. It seems far-fetched at first glance, that a working-class seamstress was in possession of such an important diamond, but Meyerson spins the tale eloquently. Layer, by layer is peeled off and you find out more about Helen’s life, but you never feel that you know the woman any better than you did at the beginning.
With each layer peeling away, you can feel the family tentatively draw closer. They are still wary of one another – their pain runs that deep. The story comes to a satisfying, heart-dropping conclusion. You also grow to love this imperfect family – deep flaws and all. That is why we chose to give this book a second look.
Favourite Passage From “The Imperfects”
“Everything about this is wrong. Their being here. The diamond in the vault. Her trying to reconcile with her mother through the stone. The diamond belonging to the Millers, spreading its bad luck like a virus. It’s all wrong.”
This sums up the book and one character’s development perfectly.
