"Perfection"

Author: Julie Metz
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Hyperion, 2009
Pages: 352
My Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: A breathtakingly honest, gloriously written memoir about the complexities of forgiveness when a young widow discovers her husband's secret life after his death Julie Metz seemed to have the perfect life—an adoring if demanding husband, a happy, spirited daughter, a lovely old house in an idyllic town outside New York City—when in an instant, everything changed. Her charismatic, charming husband, Henry, suffered a pulmonary embolism and collapsed on the kitchen floor. Within hours he was dead, and Julie was a widow and single mother at 44. Just like that, what seemed like a perfect life melted away. But the worst was yet to come.

Six months after his death, Julie discovered that her husband of 12 years, the man who loved her and their six-year-old daughter ebulliently and devotedly, had been unfaithful throughout their marriage, going so far as to conduct an ongoing relationship with one of Julie's close friends.

This memoir—moving, simple, filled with incandescent images—is the story of coming to terms with painful truths, of rebuilding both a life and an identity after betrayal and widowhood. Ultimately, it is a story of rebirth and happiness—if not perfection.

Review: Suffice it to say, this book was the undoing of my already failing marriage.

It's well-written and quite interesting and I felt nothing but sympathy for the author. She basically lived (and is living) what would be a worst nightmare for any of us. It's also a great example of Karma at work.

That being said, the last part of the book is one sexcapade after another. I could have done without the list of men she slept with and the details. She could have ended this memoir a lot sooner by leaving out the sordid details, which did not add to her story. However, I give anyone who writes a memoir a lot of credit though. You pretty much put yourself out there for potentially millions of people to read, not to mention those directly involved in your life. I haven't decided if it's a leap of faith or a true display of narcissism, but memoirs are a favorite genre of mine and I eat them up either way.