The Perfect Couple
Elin Hilderbrand
3 stars
Format: Kindle
Celeste is getting married this weekend at her fiance Benji’s Nantucket summer home. He’s rich, like money-can-solve-any-problem rich. Benji is the second son of the Winburys, a prominent English-American family whose secrets may soon be their undoing. Mom Greer is a prolific mystery author and Dad Tag is a charismatic businessman with a tendency to look outside of his marriage for thrills. Thomas, Benji’s brother, is an entitled loser and his pregnant wife Abby is selfish, stuck-up, and materialistic. Celeste’s humble midwestern beginnings hardly fit in with this picturesque quintet, but the wedding is going forward until Merritt, Celeste’s best (only) friend and maid of honor, washes up dead on the beach the morning of the nuptials.
The story unfolds between flashbacks from the characters and the present investigation. Was it an accidental drowning? Is a member of the party capable of murder? The Perfect Couple had all the makings of a chic whodunnit set in sunny Nantucket. We get to see the inner workings of a wealthy family and watch with glee as the drama unfurls. Unfortunately, the characters were superficial and the ending was flat.
My first reaction upon finishing The Perfect Couple was a straight-lipped, “hmmm.” I let the ending sit with me overnight before forming any strong opinions and from an analytical standpoint, I see why Elin Hilderbrand wrote the story as she did. The story was not about Merritt’s death, but instead the relationships of everyone around her. Who is the perfect couple and is there such a thing? Merritt’s death was just the event that triggered the avalanche of outed secrets. But, we find out in the end that her death was accidental and there are no real consequences to anyone’s actions.
As a bibliophile, this pains me to admit, but the Netflix limited series starring Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber was better than the book. There was more drama, more tension, and the characters were given soul. In the novel, Merritt is painted as a siren, one who makes it a habit of moving through men and doesn’t have any regrets coming on to Tag. Their affair is brief but potent, resulting in a pregnancy. Celeste is bland. And her stutter? What was that? Why did no one try to help her or question her sudden onset stutter?
I give this story three stars for its beautiful setting. If choosing between the book and the television show, grab some popcorn and wait for the classic buh-dum of Netflix.
