The Perfect Child

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child abuse, physical abuse, graphic violence, death, animal abuse and death, and mental illness (including postpartum depression and psychosis).

The novel’s events reveal the unexpected and tragic consequences that can result from unconditional love. Lucinda Berry shows that while unconditional love is usually viewed as positive, it can have dire consequences, like preventing one from recognizing danger or neglecting one’s other important relationships.

Although the novel explores this theme through various characters (e.g., by showing the consequences of Hannah’s obsessive love for Cole), Christopher is particularly central because unconditional love is his defining trait. It is both a strength and a weakness and sets him up as an altruistic parent who can do nothing but love Janie, no matter how horribly she treats him or anyone he cares about. Janie hits Christopher, doesn’t speak to Hannah for weeks, and openly admits to Christopher that she enjoys hurting people and seeing them cry. She also kills her cat, tries to hurt Cole, bites Hannah, and kills Allison. Through it all, Christopher never stops loving her, his tendency to give of himself for others exploited by Janie, all of which implies that a loving disposition makes one vulnerable to manipulative tactics.