Overview
Jeneva Rose’s The Perfect Marriage is a psychological thriller. It tells the narrative of Sarah and Adam Morgan, a married couple. Sarah, a top criminal defense attorney, defends Adam when he is charged with the murder of his mistress. Despite this, Adam is convicted of his mistress’s murder and sentenced to death. The novel discloses a crucial plot twist near the end, right before Adam’s execution: Sarah murdered Adam’s mistress and framed him for it.
The Perfect Marriage and this study guide contain discussions of murder, suicide, capital penalty, drug addiction, relationship abuse, and infidelity. The novel also contains profanity and sexually graphic topics.
Plot Synopsis
The Perfect Marriage is told in alternating first-person points of view, switching between Adam Morgan’s and Sarah Morgan’s voices. Adam and Sarah, a childless couple residing in Washington, D.C., have been married for ten years. The book portrays Sarah as a powerful lawyer, a prominent criminal defense attorney who defends elites, such as a senator accused of rape, and Adam as a struggling author who is still hoping for major success.
Adam and Sarah have a lake house in Prince William County, Virginia, in addition to their residence in Washington, D.C. On the couple’s tenth anniversary, Adam meets his lover, waitress Kelly Summers (formerly Jenna Way), at the lake house. Kelly/Jenna is married to Scott Summers, a local police officer who she believes is physically abusive. Kelly’s claims of abuse are never confirmed, and they are called into question when it is shown that Kelly may have lied about her history.
Kelly/Jenna had previously lived in Wisconsin with her ex-husband, Greg Miller, whom she also claimed was abusive. Kelly/Jenna was charged with Greg’s murder after he was stabbed to death. She was exonerated on a technicality, however, since evidence from the crime scene was absent. Scott was the first cop on the scene in Wisconsin. Following the dismissal of the accusations against Kelly/Jenna, she and Scott relocated to Virginia and began a new life together.
During the investigation into Kelly/Jenna’s murder, the truth about her identity and past is revealed. On his and Sarah’s 10th anniversary, Adam meets Kelly/Jenna at the lake house and they have sex before falling asleep. The sound of a car door slamming wakes Adam up shortly after midnight. He immediately rushes back to Sarah’s house in Washington, D.C. After a night out with her legal assistant, Anne, Sarah is already in bed. Sarah informs Adam that she wants to have a child, and they have intercourse.
The next morning, Adam and Sarah’s cleaning lady discovers Kelly/Jenna’s body in bed, stabbed 37 times, and calls the cops. Sheriff Ryan Stevens and Deputy Marcus Hudson, one of his subordinates, arrest Adam and accuse him of Kelly/Jenna’s murder. Adam, who is completely innocent, is taken aback.
Sarah is informed of Adam’s charges and appears astonished. Sarah decides to defend Adam despite his infidelity. Sarah’s defense of Adam is hindered by Adam’s lack of cooperation: for example, before his trial, Adam is placed under house arrest but escapes. Eleanor Morgan, Adam’s overindulgent mother, further complicates matters. Eleanor believes Adam is innocent and blames Sarah for not being a caring wife to Adam, stating she was too preoccupied with her work. Eleanor claims that this is what motivated Adam to have the affair.
Sarah appears to make considerable efforts to clear Adam’s name. She looks for important clues, such as the fact that Kelly/Jenna had three sets of DNA on her body, implying she had intercourse with three separate men on the day she died: Adam, Scott, and an unnamed third set of DNA. Sarah is particularly concerned about the third set of DNA; she asks a friend to gather DNA without consent from key persons she believes it may belong to. Despite Matthew’s observation that the DNA would not be admissible in court, Sarah maintains.
Despite Sarah’s apparent efforts to exonerate Adam, he is convicted of both Kelly/Jenna’s and her unborn child’s (Adam’s) homicide. In Virginia, this indicates he will be executed. The book jumps ahead ten years after the judgment. Adam is on death row, and today is the day of his execution. Sarah pays him a visit to say goodbye.
The final chapters disclose the true circumstances surrounding Kelly/Jenna’s murder. A colleague of Sarah’s law firm, Nicholas Robert (“Bob”) Miller, addressed her about Kelly/Jenna and Adam’s romance. Bob is Kelly/Jenna’s ex-husband’s brother. Bob had wanted to use the unflattering facts to blackmail Sarah. Instead, Sarah proposed that she and Bob murder Kelly/Jenna and frame Adam. Bob was able to avenge his brother’s murder, while Sarah was able to avenge herself for Adam’s infidelity. Sarah also says that she discovered and concealed the identity of the third set of DNA: Sheriff Stevens, who was also sleeping with Kelly/Jenna. The Sheriff’s personal links to the case explain why he purposefully botched it, aiding Sarah’s cause.
The novel concludes with Adam’s execution. Eleanor, Sarah, and Kelly/Jenna’s parents are all watching. Adam’s final thoughts are of Sarah, as he learns she is responsible for Kelly/Jenna’s death, knew about the romance all along, and framed him. Sarah leaves the execution and joins Bob, who is waiting in the car, at the end of the book. The following day, Bob and Sarah would marry. Summer, Bob and Sarah’s six-year-old daughter, was born. Finally, Sarah reveals that her mother, a heroin addict who appeared to die from a self-inflicted overdose, was murdered by Sarah herself.
Chapters 1-11 Prologue Analysis
The Prologue instantly poses the narrative’s central question: “But the question isn’t whether or whether he loved her. The question is, “Did he murder her?”. While the major riddle of the novel is exposed, the answer will not be confirmed until the final pages, when Sarah reveals that she, not Adam, murdered Kelly/Jenna. Sarah committed the murder in retaliation for discovering Adam and Kelly/Jenna were having an affair.
The book begins and ends with Sarah’s perspective, demonstrating her status as the more powerful character in her marriage interaction with Adam. Sarah’s authority over Adam is underlined constantly in the book’s first chapters: Sarah quips in the first chapter about how she is the one who pays the expenses in the marriage. Adam himself portrays Sarah as a “powerhouse” in the second chapter and their marriage as “a one-woman show where [he] just happens to be cast as an extra” . Adam may feel emasculated in the marriage, especially because his career is faltering compared to Sarah’s. The fact that Adam has been waiting for Sarah to establish a family further challenges traditional gender stereotypes, which hold that women are more likely to want a family.
The book instantly begins to examine traditional Power Dynamics and Gender Politics in marriage through the dramatic difference between Adam and Sarah. Traditionally, men were the more dominating character as the major breadwinner. Sarah and Adam, on the other hand, have inverted this relationship, with Sarah being wealthier, more accomplished, and more fiercely driven in her ambitions than Adam. In theory, this should be empowering. However, Sarah’s persona is so viciously power-hungry and independent that it is unclear whether she is an inspirational figure. Eleanor will later claim that Sarah’s ambitions have put strains on the marriage, which aided Adam’s affair, hinting that Sarah may struggle with the more emotional, interpersonal sides of her existence.
In these early chapters, Sarah’s character is already painted in a negative light—not because she seeks a career or is successful, but because she is portrayed as cunning and merciless. In Chapter 7, for example, Sarah is depicted in court representing a senator in a rape case. While this information does not advance the plot, it does provide some insight into Sarah’s personality: Her client is someone powerful and wealthy (a senator), which speaks to Sarah’s exclusive clientele, and her defense of the senator on a rape charge reveals that Sarah, even in her legal career, is not necessarily invested in supporting a female-centric agenda. Instead, she identifies with masculinity, authority, and hierarchical societal institutions, all of which reflect her own ideals and self-image as capable of pursuing traditional “masculine” accomplishments.
Kelly/Jenna provides a significant contrast to Sarah. While Sarah is a successful lawyer, Kelly/Jenna works as a waitress, implying that her income is comparable to or somewhat higher than Adam’s. Kelly/Jenna is quickly portrayed as the type of lady who looks after a man. She meets Adam’s sexual as well as other requirements, such as nourishment. Kelly/Jenna’s character is introduced in the novel with the words, “Babe, I brought leftover baked goods from the café”. This type of nurturing behavior indicates that Kelly/Jenna aspires to show herself as a feminine, nurturing figure more in line with traditional gender standards. While Sarah’s routines do not appear to be excessively domestic or subservient, Kelly/Jenna appears to be satisfied with conforming to gender stereotypes.
However, while Kelly/Jenna, and Sarah appear to be diametrically opposed at first, the ladies will wind up having more in common than appears. Sarah and Kelly/Jenna, for example, are both untrustworthy narrators—and potential murderers. Sarah will keep the information that she is the murderer hidden until the very end of the book. Meanwhile, Kelly/Jenna will allege that both of her ex-husbands, Greg and Scott, were abusive, which will be called into question. Kelly/Jenna will also be heavily hinted to have murdered Greg. If this is true, both Sarah and Kelly/Jenna are capable of murdering not simply a person, but someone they presumably love or have loved at some point in their lives, an intimate relationship. Kelly/Jenna’s seeming compliance to established gender roles may so conceal ruthlessness akin to Sarah’s.
The book postpones delivering the narrative’s inciting incident, Kelly/Jenna’s murder. This is unusual in thrillers and murder mysteries, which frequently begin with a dead body and progress from there. Instead, the story focuses on depicting Adam and Sarah’s marriage, which is plainly not the “perfect” marriage alluded to in the title. The lake house represents the tensions in their marriage: Adam comments that it was intended to help Sarah and Adam’s marriage by providing a private escape; instead, Adam spends much of his time there alone. Adam also meets Kelly/Jenna at the lake house, which later becomes the site of her murder. In presenting an intended marital getaway as the location of an affair, the lake house serves as both a symbol and a venue for the theme Fidelity Versus Deceit.
These chapters also begin to shape Sarah’s persona as an untrustworthy narrator. Sarah appears stunned at first by Adam’s affair and Kelly/Jenna’s murder. When Sarah is summoned to the Sheriff’s station, she pretends to be innocent. When given the name Kelly Summers, Sarah speculates, “Perhaps she’s our cleaning lady?” No, that is not her given name” . The story frames this as interior thinking, as though Sarah is revealing her actual, private reactions. Instead, even while she claims to be telling her side of the tale, Sarah is hiding her true identity as the murderer. Sarah will only disclose at the end of the novel that she knows who Kelly/Jenna is and that she killed her, delivering a final plot twist. Sarah reflects the novel’s thematic focus with Fidelity Versus Deceit as an untrustworthy narrator set on concealing the reality of the crime.
Chapters 12 – 21 Analysis
These chapters contribute to the “mystery” component of the book by providing basic facts concerning Kelly/Jenna’s murder. Suspects and clues are introduced. Kelly/Jenna’s body had three sets of DNA, implying she had intercourse with three men the day she died—Adam, Scott, and a mystery third person. The finding of the threatening note (“END IT OR I WILL” with the photo of Kelly/Jenna and Adam begs the issue of who sent it and why. The photograph of Kelly/Jenna and Adam is also an important emblem of their affair and the theme of Fidelity Versus Deceit.
Scott, Kelly/Jenna’s spouse, is introduced in these chapters. Scott is an important red herring. Adam claims Scott assaulted Kelly, giving his first thoughts of her and her marriage as follows: “It was the cracks in her voice that gave it away.” Scott had caused her pain. She didn’t have to inform me because I already knew” (66). Later in the story, the narrative will call into question Scott’s assertion that he abused Kelly/Jenna. In these early chapters, though, he is presented as a possible suspect—a false lead. Scott has already sent threatening texts to Kelly and Jenna, according to Adam. Scott also strikes Adam with a passion, demonstrating that he is not beyond violence. “He [Scott] knew about us,” Adam believes Scott is the murderer. Concerning the affair. The night she died, he texted her. He was threatening to kill her. He was violent”.
Power Dynamics and Gender Politics is a recurring themes in these chapters. Sarah and Adam’s reactions to the incident reveal more about their characters and their gender roles inversion. Adam is a very emotional person who often loses control and is extremely reliant on his overindulgent mother. Meanwhile, Sarah is dedicated and focused, navigating the issue with obvious grit most of the time. “She’s been crying,” Adam observes with astonishment when she sobs. I’ve never seen her weep before. “What in the world did I do?”. Despite their long relationship, Adam’s claim that he has “never seen her cry” shows that Sarah is emotionally guarded, once again identifying herself with stereotypically masculine attributes rather than feminine ones. Furthermore, by taking command of the matter as a lawyer, Sarah is regaining power over Adam and becoming the dominant partner in the relationship—he is now financially and emotionally dependent on her.
Sarah’s meticulously maintained façade also links into the theme of Fidelity Versus Deceit by disguising her actual self—a furious killer, not a betrayed wife. While Adam fooled Sarah by having an affair, Sarah is now fooling Adam by appearing to represent him in court for a crime she committed herself. Sarah’s mask appears to be removed only once. “I’m saying you weren’t the only man [Kelly/Jenna] was cheating on her husband with,” she says to Adam, hinting at her wrath. I’m saying you weren’t unique. “She was a whore, in my opinion”. In calling Kelly/Jenna a “whore” and asserting that Adam was not “special,” Sarah also implies that Kelly/Jenna’s portrayal of herself as a weak, loving woman was deceptive: she was neither as devoted to Adam nor as mistreated as she claimed.
Sarah and Kelly are not the only ones who will be revealed to be deceitful, but Sheriff Stevens also exemplifies the subject of Fidelity Versus Deceit. It will be revealed at the end of the book that the mystery third set of DNA recovered on Kelly/Jenna’s body—which does not belong to Scott or Adam—belongs to Sheriff Stevens, who was having an affair with Kelly/Jenna. While Sheriff Stevens promises Sarah, “I’m just here to find out the truth and enact proper justice” (82), he will instead withhold evidence, such as the Rohypnol in Adam’s system and the knowledge that the third set of DNA belongs to him. Instead of doing his duty impartially, Stevens intends to save his personal image and conceal his connection to Kelly/Jenna. The third set of DNA represents both Kelly/Jenna’s and Sheriff Stevens’ unreliability—as well as the major, recurring function of deception in the novel as a whole.
Chapters 22 – 32 Analysis
These chapters expand on the issue of Power Dynamics and Gender Politics by delving deeper into the character of Eleanor, Adam’s mother. Eleanor represents an old-fashioned, “traditional” society viewpoint: women should be housewives and caregivers for their husbands and children. Eleanor’s traditional ideals clash with Sarah’s independent, career-focused outlook. Eleanor is unable to hold Adam accountable and instead blames Sarah for Adam’s infidelity.
“Husbands don’t typically cheat on loving wives,” Eleanor says over dinner, hinting that Sarah is to blame for Adam’s infidelity. She thinks that the entire scenario could have been avoided if Sarah had been more caring and attentive. Eleanor fights for traditional gender norms by portraying Sarah as a neglected wife, implying that Sarah’s more traditionally masculine attitude toward her profession and marriage has harmed her marriage. Eleanor espouses the stereotypically feminine characteristics that Kelly/Jenna seemed to embody: maternal, obedient, unambitious, and family-oriented (since Kelly/Jenna was already pregnant at the time of her death).
In these dialogues, the book portrays Eleanor as the antagonist and Sarah as the protagonist. The story appears to be arguing against traditional gender norms and power dynamics, with Eleanor blatantly spoiling her son. Meanwhile, Sarah is a wealthy, self-sufficient lady who looks to be willing to support Adam despite his affair. This narrative argument, however, is skewed when Sarah is eventually revealed as a murderer who seeks control over Adam at every stage of their marriage. The book argues that the power dynamic in a marriage should be one of equal partnership—imbalanced power dynamics, especially those that make the woman the more dominant partner, result in power abuse.
The plot grows more complicated in these chapters as the number of red herrings/false clues increases. Jesse Hook, for example, is a prime example. Sarah realizes that Jesse has been stalking her, making him a plausible suspect. This red herring is bolstered by Adam previously seeing a text message from Jesse to Kelly/Jenna that said, “I’m sorry”. Jesse, in fact, is a false lead.
Meanwhile, Sarah maintains her role as Adam’s loyal supporter, bringing him food and keeping him company. Sarah’s actions relate to the topic Fidelity Versus Deceit once more, since she appears to be a loyal wife while framing Adam for her own crime. The idea of Revenge vs. Justice becomes increasingly prominent as well. Sarah promises Eleanor, “I’ll make sure Adam gets the justice he deserves” (emphasis added). Sarah is doing exactly that in her own manner; the difficulty is that Sarah believes that the “justice” Adam “deserves” is the death punishment because he was disloyal. Although Sarah is supposed to assist in defending the law’s integrity as a lawyer, her actions demonstrate that she is just using the legal system for her personal objectives, much as Sheriff Stevens did in manipulating the investigation to protect himself.
Finally, these chapters underscore the lake house’s metaphorical value. Adam is placed under house arrest after entering his not-guilty plea. The house represents Adam and Sarah’s disintegrating marriage. Sarah pays Adam a visit at the lake house as his lawyer rather than his wife. The lake house, which serves as a sort of prison for Adam when he is under house arrest, also depicts his incarceration within the marriage. The lake house embodies all of their marriage’s ups and downs: at one moment, it signifies hope for Adam and Sarah’s marriage. Later, it symbolizes Adam’s infidelity. When Sarah moves into the lake house with Bob, it will symbolize her new marriage.
Chapters 33- 44 Analysis
These chapters highlight an important clue: the third set of DNA. Sarah is determined to discover who owns the third set of DNA. This appears to be because Sarah believes the DNA will cast doubt on Adam’s guilt as Kelly/Jenna’s murderer. The third set of DNA, on the other hand, represents Sarah’s drive to know and control everything. “Until I can tie up this loose end, I will always be left wondering what it is that I don’t know” (184). Her continual desire for dominance ties her with a stereotypically masculine quality, hinting once more to Power Dynamics and Gender Politics.
These chapters continue to raise red herrings in terms of plot. Jesse Hook is no longer a suspect. When it is found that Anne delivered the threatening letter and photo to Adam, she becomes a suspect. Then Bob (Nicholas Robert Miller) becomes a suspect because he has a motive as the deceased Greg Miller’s brother. Bob will eventually be proven to have a solid alibi, as he was in Wisconsin on the night Kelly/Jenna was murdered. Only in the closing pages of the book does Sarah confess that Bob was her collaborator in Kelly/Jenna’s murder. In this scenario, the red herring—the misleading clue—turns out to be a valid lead, albeit one skillfully engineered by Sarah to eventually disabuse Bob of suspicion.
Deputy Hudson appears to be yet another red herring. The storyline has repeatedly underlined that Deputy Hudson appears unduly engaged in Kelly/Jenna’s murder investigation. This is brought up again in Chapter 37 when he bothers Sarah as she is watching Sheriff Stevens interrogate Jesse Hook. In the end, it will be revealed that Deputy Hudson is a forgery.
These chapters also reinforce Sarah’s portrayal as an untrustworthy narrator and demonstrate Fidelity Versus Deceit in her ongoing manipulation of Adam. Sarah becomes surprised when Anne says that Adam has been receiving visits from the reporter, Rebecca. However, at the conclusion of the novel, Sarah reveals that Rebecca is a private investigator whom she and Bob hired to lead Adam astray, keep him occupied, and make him feel uneasy. Sarah also constantly misleads Adam directly whenever she has the opportunity. When he implies that someone from Kelly/Jenna’s past is to blame for the murder, most likely someone connected to her ex-husband Greg, Sarah instantly dismisses his theories: “[T]hat whole someone from her past came back and got their revenge just doesn’t seem plausible”. Bob was a part of the murder conspiracy, therefore this is exactly what happened.
In these chapters, an unexpected story twist happens when it is revealed that Anne sent the threatening note and photo of Kelly/Jenna, and Adam, reinforcing the subject of Fidelity vs. Deceit. Although Anne is not the murderer, she betrays Sarah’s confidence by failing to inform her of Adam’s affair. Every character in the novel appears to have been deceptive in some way. In the context of a relationship, this deception often leads to disillusionment. “Anne is the one person I can always rely on, the one person I can always trust,” Sarah says ( emphasis added). In actuality, Anne misled Sarah by concealing information from her, and while she assists by serving as Sarah’s alibi for the night of the murder, it is evident that Sarah cannot “always trust” Anne as she once imagined. While Sarah attempts to deceive others, she is also duped.
Chapters 45-55 Analysis
One of the book’s primary symbols, the third set of DNA, takes on new significance in these chapters. Sarah appears to break a professional line when she requests that Matthew obtain DNA from a list of unnamed people using whatever methods necessary. Sarah’s behavior points to the topic of Revenge Versus Justice once more—Sarah is unconcerned about justice or following the rules of the court system because she is the murderer. She merely wants to be in charge. Matthew is breaching professional limits out of loyalty to Sarah by agreeing to get DNA even without consent. As with so many other characters in the novel, a lack of justice is perpetuated by a lack of professional and personal allegiance to the system that the characters are supposed to represent and protect.
While Sarah looks to be holding things together and retaining authority, Adam appears to be unraveling, highlighting the Power Dynamics and Gender Politics between them once more. He escapes from house detention for the second time, significantly endangering his case. Adam’s desperation is growing, but he’s also acting on an instinctual mistrust of Sarah. Adam is violating both the restrictions of house arrest and the judicial system that has imprisoned him, as well as the power dynamic that has characterized his whole marriage and the legal system Sarah represents. He only partially expresses his agency, however, because he essentially exchanges one powerful woman for another: he seeks Rebecca’s protection and leadership as a replacement for the wife he no longer trusts. Rebecca, who has been employed by Sarah and is not a legitimate reporter, is ironically just another one of Sarah’s tactics of controlling Adam. In attempting to break free from Sarah’s grip, Adam becomes even more entangled in it.
Meanwhile, Sarah and Eleanor’s feud reaches a climax. The two opposing viewpoints on Power Dynamics and Gender Politics in marriage are squarely set against each other. However, the relationship between the two women has shifted this time. Instead of pretending to agree with Eleanor, Sarah openly condemns Adam for his flaws and mocks Eleanor for her indulgence toward him. She even dares Eleanor by recommending that she commit suicide like Sarah’s mother allegedly did. Sarah displays her control and shows her growing confidence in how her plot is progressing by challenging Eleanor and insulting her: she is no longer as committed to acting as the loyal wife, either to Eleanor or to Adam.
Sarah and Eleanor’s conversation also sheds further light on Sarah’s character. In her parents’ family, her father was the sole breadwinner. They lost everything when he died, and Sarah’s mother became addicted to heroin. This was certainly a watershed event for Sarah, who recalls saying to her mother, “You’ve never worked a day in your life.” You were so pathetically dependent on one man that you now have nothing and no idea what to do. You are frail and pitiful”. Sarah’s commitment to her own work and independence is given motivation by presenting this backstory—she wants to be self-reliant in a way her own mother was never. Sarah has endeavored to reverse these traditional roles in her own life and marriage since her parents subscribed to a more traditional understanding of Power Dynamics and Gender Politics.
While Sarah is perhaps the most deceptive and manipulative character in the novel, she expects everyone around her to be honest and trustworthy. Following the Sheriff’s interrogation of Anne and Bob, Sarah remarks, “I don’t trust either of them”. She subsequently informs Anne that they can no longer be friends because Anne concealed Adam’s affair from her. Sarah’s contradictory demeanor connects to the theme of Fidelity Versus Deceit, reflecting her own complicated relationship with truth and treachery. While Sarah wishes she could trust others, her own dishonest behavior makes genuine, open connections with others impossible.
Chapters 56 – 64 Analysis
The closing chapters of the novel culminate in two big plot twists. First, Sarah tells Adam and the reader that she is the one who murdered Kelly/Jenna. This important plot twist sheds light on all of the novel’s major topics.
The first is Fidelity vs. Deceit. In Sarah’s society, deception—in this case, Adam’s affair—is such an unforgivable evil that it is punishable by death, despite the fact that she has engaged in many sorts of deception since discovering his affair. This also touches on the topic of Revenge Versus Justice, as Sarah remains determined to pursue her own personal revenge until the very end, rather than honoring the concept of justice she is supposed to represent as a lawyer. On the day of Adam’s death, Sarah says, “Adam may not have murdered Kelly Summers, but he is paying for his crimes” (emphasis added). In presenting her framing of Adam and his eventual death as “paying for his crimes,” Sarah implies that for her, justice can never be detached from the personal: Adam’s betrayal is a “crime” for which he must pay, yet her vengeance is totally justified. In other words, Sarah is a law unto herself, and the judicial system is just another tool in her arsenal.
The issue of Power Dynamics and Gender Politics is also emphasized here, as Sarah demonstrates her desire for control and power. This is reflected in Adam’s dying thoughts as he is executed. He understands that “Sarah controlled everything in her life, myself included” ( emphasis added). Sarah’s need for control has rendered her unable to develop an equal, true connection with anyone, including her own spouse. Adam understands his own impotence by recognizing how Sarah “controlled everything,” including him. Sarah’s desire to manage every aspect of Adam’s existence extends to her want to govern his death. Sarah could have just as easily not visited Adam on the day of his execution and let him die in peace; instead, she felt compelled to inform him that she murdered Kelly/Jenna and framed him. She also dodges the topic of whether she has moved on romantically: Adam is unaware of her six-year-old daughter Bob or her upcoming wedding the next day. Sarah ensures that she retains complete control of the situation by withholding this knowledge from him.
The second plot twist in the book’s final chapter is Sarah’s disclosure that her mother did not die by suicide, but was murdered by Sarah. In Sarah’s opinion, just as Adam’s betrayal deserved death, so did her mother’s dismal spiral into heroin addiction. Sarah’s past murder exposes a deeper pattern underlying her ideas on Revenge Versus Justice: Sarah does not consider her mother’s murder to be a crime or betrayal of her mother. Instead, Sarah portrays her victim as deserving of murder since her mother is weak and helpless, which appalled Sarah. Sarah’s mother’s weakness and Adam’s vulnerability mirror one another: Sarah’s mother relied wholly on Sarah’s father, while Adam relied entirely on Sarah. Both elicited Sarah’s disgust and, eventually, violence. When faced with no effective opposition, Sarah’s ambition for power over others becomes a devastating force.
As a last example of this personality trait, Sarah discloses that she has called her daughter Summer—a clear reference to Kelly Summers, whom she murdered. Sarah wants to show ultimate domination over her love rival, even after Kelly/Jenna’s death, by naming her kid after her husband’s lover and her own murder victim. In the end, ultimate dominance is the only gratifying ending for Sarah.
Discussion Questions
How does the book explore power dynamics and gender politics, specifically within the institution of marriage? How do Sarah and Adam challenge traditional gender roles within a marriage? What factors contribute to Sarah’s successful career while Adam is still striving to achieve his breakthrough as an author? What are the implications of power imbalances in a marriage, as suggested in the novel? How does the novel portray the destructive nature of such imbalances, regardless of which partner holds more dominance?
How does Eleanor’s character challenge the traditional power dynamic between males and females? What are Eleanor’s views on the role of women? Should they prioritize being homemakers and caretakers over pursuing careers? How does Eleanor’s complete inability to understand and appreciate the inverted gender/power dynamic between Adam and Sarah contribute to her blaming the affair and the murder of Kelly/Jenna on it?
How might the outcome have been different if Sarah had prioritized her love for Adam over her career, according to Eleanor’s perspective? How might Sarah’s lack of attention to Eleanor’s son and failure to fulfill her wifely duties have contributed to Adam’s current predicament, according to Eleanor? What is the significance of the emphasis added in?
How does Eleanor’s indulgence towards Adam contribute to his inability to embody traditional masculine stereotypes such as strength, independence, and emotional control? Why does Eleanor view Sarah’s strength as a concern, but overlook Adam’s weakness as a potential issue?
Is Sarah’s role as the dominant partner in the marriage truly liberating or fulfilling? How does Sarah’s inability to view Adam as her equal impact her personal growth and emotional development? In what ways does her struggle with the emotional aspects of her personality hinder her ability to form genuine connections with others? How does her desire for total control impact her ability to experience vulnerability? How might Adam and Sarah potentially challenge traditional norms of marriage? How does Sarah exploit her power over Adam and seek to control him throughout the story? What is the main argument of the book regarding power dynamics in relationships? How does the book define a “perfect” marriage? Is it characterized by equal partnership or power struggles?
Reflection Essays
1. The Perfect Marriage alternates between Adam’s and Sarah’s first-person points of view, with Sarah later exposed as an untrustworthy narrator. How does the novel’s narrative structure and use of an untrustworthy narrator highlight some of the book’s primary themes? Would a different narrative framework make the book more or less effective? Why and how?
2. Kelly/Jenna’s murder was a vengeance killing. In the narrative, how is vengeance contrasted with justice? How do various characters view “crime” and “justice,” and what do these opposing perspectives tell about their personality and/or interpersonal dynamics?
3. One of the narrative surprises in the book is that Sarah had previously murdered—her own mother. What new information does the reveal bring about Sarah’s character? How does it shed light on some of the novel’s core themes?
4. Examine how gender is portrayed in the novel. What gender and/or masculinity stereotypes are challenged or reinforced? What are the implications of these stereotypes?
5. Consider the novel’s role in storytelling and narrative. How do different characters employ storytelling to their benefit or detriment? Is it ever possible to “control” the narrative? What is your reasoning?
6. The typography of the book title changes the title from The Perfect Marriage to The Perfect Marriage by using strike-through letters. How does this title relate to the themes and concepts of the novel? How are various marriages portrayed in the novel?
7. Contrast The Perfect Marriage with another thriller with a dishonest female protagonist, such as Gone Girl. In what ways do the female protagonists differ or resemble one another? Do the two novels cover the same ground? If so, how so? If not, how and why are they distinct?
8. In mystery and thriller stories like The Perfect Marriage, red herrings (false clues) are popular. In what ways does The Perfect Marriage use or subvert this trope?
9. Examine the novel’s depictions of motherhood. How are Eleanor and Sarah’s mothers different and similar? What role does motherhood play in the novel’s themes?
10. What relevance does the novel’s ending have? In what respects has or has not “justice” been served? What insights into the work and its themes does the novel’s ending provide?