SuitabookGoodbye, Perfect
Sara Barnard
- Reading
- Read alongside the young person if helpful, pausing to discuss power differences and the choices available to Eden. Let them decide how much to discuss, and avoid revealing the ending before they reach it.
- Themes
- Loyalty, secrecy and protection: Eden keeps Bonnie’s location secret despite police questioning, parental suspicion and her own doubts. The situation invites consideration of when loyalty becomes harmful or when disclosure might be protective; the narrative appears to question simple ideas of betrayal.
- Authority and power: Bonnie runs away with her music teacher, and the book examines boundaries and power dynamics between authority figures and teenagers. The book takes a critical view of this.
- Family, adoption and identity: Eden’s relationships with her adoptive mother, adoptive sister, biological sister and biological mother influence how she understands herself and others. The story explores the emotional complexity of family belonging and challenges simplified assumptions about adopted children.
- Worth knowing
- Before reading, consider whether discussion of a teacher–student relationship, police involvement, secrecy and family separation may need calm conversation. The book also includes Eden’s dyslexia and experiences as an adopted, biracial character.