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Perfect World
Tom Brackett has created the perfect world for himself: he has a good job, a perpetually supportive wife, two kids, a mini-van, and even a golden retriever.
But then, his mental instability causes him to commit a terrifying act of violence.
Tom's story, which is at once tragic and hopeful, shows how quickly familiar structures can crumble and raises the question of how we can possibly prepare ourselves for the loss of everything we hold dear. It dramatizes a man's struggle to maintain control over his own life under horrific circumstances. Though offering no solution, its message is a positive one: that the struggle is worth the effort.
But then, his mental instability causes him to commit a terrifying act of violence.
Tom's story, which is at once tragic and hopeful, shows how quickly familiar structures can crumble and raises the question of how we can possibly prepare ourselves for the loss of everything we hold dear. It dramatizes a man's struggle to maintain control over his own life under horrific circumstances. Though offering no solution, its message is a positive one: that the struggle is worth the effort.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2016
1 person is currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Ian Colford
15 books37 followersIan Colford is a fiction writer who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Educated primarily in Halifax, he has a bachelor's degree in mathematics, a master's in English and a master's in library science. His first short story was published in 1983. An early novel, "The Confessions of Joseph Blanchard," won the 2001 H.R. (Bill) Percy Prize for unpublished novel from the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia. His short story "The Reason for the Dream" appeared in the 1998 Journey Prize Anthology and was one of three from that volume shortlisted for the prize.
Ian's stories, reviews, and commentary have appeared in numerous literary publications, in print and online. From 1995 to 1998 he was editor of the literary publication Pottersfield Portfolio, and from 1994 to 2000 served on the executive board of the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia. In 1998 he selected and edited a collection of stories by Maritime writers, called Water Studies, for Pottersfield Press.
Evidence, his first collection of short fiction, was published by Porcupine's Quill in 2008. In 2009 Evidence was shortlisted for the Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Prize, the ReLit Awards, and the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, and won the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. Evidence was described by the Globe & Mail as "a a rich, shadowed, mind-tweaking puzzle of a book.”
A novel, The Crimes of Hector Tomás appeared in 2012. Published by Freehand Books of Calgary, The Crimes of Hector Tomás is a tragic tale of disappearance and deception set in an unnamed South American country in the middle of the previous century. Critics have described the book as "disturbing" and "remarkable." In 2013 it won Trade Book of the Year at the Alberta Book Awards.
A novella, Perfect World was published in May 2016 by Freehand, and in 2019 his collection of short fiction, A Dark House and Other Stories, was published by Nimbus Publishing under their Vagrant Press imprint. A Dark House was shortlisted for the Alistair MacLeod Prize in Short Fiction and the Relit Awards.
His most recently completed manuscripts are "A Momentary Lapse," a novel of contemporary Halifax, and a second collection of short fiction featuring Evidence protagonist Kostantin Bitri.
Ian's stories, reviews, and commentary have appeared in numerous literary publications, in print and online. From 1995 to 1998 he was editor of the literary publication Pottersfield Portfolio, and from 1994 to 2000 served on the executive board of the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia. In 1998 he selected and edited a collection of stories by Maritime writers, called Water Studies, for Pottersfield Press.
Evidence, his first collection of short fiction, was published by Porcupine's Quill in 2008. In 2009 Evidence was shortlisted for the Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Prize, the ReLit Awards, and the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, and won the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. Evidence was described by the Globe & Mail as "a a rich, shadowed, mind-tweaking puzzle of a book.”
A novel, The Crimes of Hector Tomás appeared in 2012. Published by Freehand Books of Calgary, The Crimes of Hector Tomás is a tragic tale of disappearance and deception set in an unnamed South American country in the middle of the previous century. Critics have described the book as "disturbing" and "remarkable." In 2013 it won Trade Book of the Year at the Alberta Book Awards.
A novella, Perfect World was published in May 2016 by Freehand, and in 2019 his collection of short fiction, A Dark House and Other Stories, was published by Nimbus Publishing under their Vagrant Press imprint. A Dark House was shortlisted for the Alistair MacLeod Prize in Short Fiction and the Relit Awards.
His most recently completed manuscripts are "A Momentary Lapse," a novel of contemporary Halifax, and a second collection of short fiction featuring Evidence protagonist Kostantin Bitri.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 18, 2017
Well-delivered, believable first-person present-tense examination of a life slowly falling apart due to inherited mental illness. Hard to get this kind of subject matter right, but Colford does a terrific job using understated prose, dulled reactions, drab settings. That's the author's intention and not a limitation (much as I love some flash to the writing). Kudos to Freehand on taking a chance on such dark matter.
(There are, I should point out, touches of subtle humour throughout.)
(There are, I should point out, touches of subtle humour throughout.)
May 16, 2016
Writing reviews is not my forte, but here goes. This is a well written story of the uncontrollable unraveling of one man's life. At times difficult to read, the story pulls you along. Personally, I would have liked more detail, as this novella covers Tom's life from about the age of 10 through adulthood in 192 pages. We do get a good sense of what his life has been like and Ian is very adept at describing Tom's mental illness. Well done.
March 16, 2017
All my reviews can be found at ivereadthis.com
Mental illness: many people suffer from it, and everyone fears it. It seems like only lately have we begun getting better at talking about it, although that in itself has been a slow progression. But when we think of how people suffering from mental illnesses were treated even 50 years ago, it’s uplifting to reflect on how we deal with this sickness today.
Ian Colford‘s Perfect World deals with a whole host of mental health issues, including schizophrenia and alcoholism. Surprisingly, he does it without a lot of social commentary; his protagonist Tom is more comfortable alone, which may explain why we don’t get much outside perspective on what’s happening to him and his family. We’re introduced to Tom Brackett as a preteen who is confused as to why his mother has been acting so strangely after the birth of her second child, Beverly. His Dad seems distant yet caring, attempting to console his son with meals at McDonalds and a few words of encouragement every now and then. But one day, without warning Tom is whisked off to his grandmother’s to live, with no word of explanation from his parents. From here, we learn his mother is suffering from an un-diagnosed but debilitating mental illness, and as Tom grows older, his father’s life begins to fall apart as well as he descends into a life of poverty and alcoholism.
I’m sure many of you are thinking this book is sounding pretty bleak at this point, but it gets worse when Tom begins to experience voices in his head, as well as un-explainable bouts of rage and headaches. After committing a horrific act of violence against his own son, he swiftly loses his old life, and is introduced to a new one of institutions, medications and loneliness. Because we only look at this turn of events through Tom’s eyes, I believe this book isn’t meant to teach us a lesson about mental illness as a whole. There isn’t a moral of the story, or a lesson learned at the end. This tightly written novel is fiction at its most simple and pure; a look into someone else’s life, and the opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes.
We’re always told to be thankful for our physical health, but what about our mental health? Tom does everything he can to distance himself from his ‘sick’ family, yet he cannot help but succumb to what is imprinted in his DNA. Although it seems like this is a really sad book, it does come with glimpses of hope. The majority of Tom’s childhood is mostly normal and happy. The love for his kids is obvious, even though he hurts one irrevocably (his illness is entirely un-diagnosed when he does this, and he is depicted as mostly unable to control his actions at that point). And once he comes through the other side, and accepts his new life that does not include his wife and kids, he is still able to move on, refusing to fall into the catatonic stupor or alcohol-fueled existence that defined his parents. This willpower is admirable, and offers readers a light at the end of the tunnel. The fact that this book is quite short and well-written also makes it easier to dive into these difficult subjects, because we aren’t forced to live in this world for too long. Colford doesn’t feel the need to show empathy for his protagonist, but his respect for the reader is evident in his succinct and unsentimental sentences. It won’t be easy, but I highly recommend reading this book.
March 2, 2022
Against all odds, Tom Brackett has arrived: after a confusing and uncertain childhood, he has a stable job, a supportive partner, two children, a dog, and a house outside the city. The shadows of his mother's illness, his father's alcoholism, and an unusual upbringing are behind him, and a future of peace is unfolding.
Life is rarely linear, however, and Tom's life slips into new patterns as his own mental illness takes hold. The novel follows his struggle with insight and clarity. The author's objective telling takes us into Tom's world, to see as he sees, to feel as he feels. No solution is reached, yet we are left with a sense that this, too, is a worthy life.
Mental illness, too, is not linear. The body changes; the compatibility with specific medications changes. Life changes. It is not something that is overcome by hard work and a positive attitude. Living with mental illness is hard work, and Tom's story teaches us to honour those who live it.
The style is highly readable and characters are well-developed, appearing in all their human frailty and dignity. Tom's point of view is consistently maintained. A moving story, told well.
Life is rarely linear, however, and Tom's life slips into new patterns as his own mental illness takes hold. The novel follows his struggle with insight and clarity. The author's objective telling takes us into Tom's world, to see as he sees, to feel as he feels. No solution is reached, yet we are left with a sense that this, too, is a worthy life.
Mental illness, too, is not linear. The body changes; the compatibility with specific medications changes. Life changes. It is not something that is overcome by hard work and a positive attitude. Living with mental illness is hard work, and Tom's story teaches us to honour those who live it.
The style is highly readable and characters are well-developed, appearing in all their human frailty and dignity. Tom's point of view is consistently maintained. A moving story, told well.
March 4, 2023
A perfect example of an author needing to do better research. Visual and auditory hallucinations are a not a common symptom of depression OR borderline personality disorder, and this book reinforces the widespread and damaging misconception that those with borderline personality disorder are inherently violent, while in reality they are no more or less violent that the general public.
Not a bad read, but the perpetuation of this harmful stereotype somewhat turned me off of this book
Not a bad read, but the perpetuation of this harmful stereotype somewhat turned me off of this book
September 6, 2016
By portraying mental illness with such empathy and clarity, this novel depicts the hardship, trauma and diminishment of life for those stricken with a disease of the mind. The reader can glimpse a perfect world where members of a family support and nourish each other, but it is a world not open to Tom Brackett, our protagonist. The novel is riveting in its pace, heartbreaking in its intent and wise in its execution. As with his previous work, Ian Colford has given us an unflinching appraisal of the human condition – in this story, it’s a life compromised by the terror of mental illness. If we are not at home in our own minds, the novel seems to tell us, we are never at home. I recommend it wholeheartedlly, especially for readers who are interested in the intersection of the world and the individual, or readers that appreciate beautiful and moving writing, or anyone who has been affected by the diminishment of the mind’s capacity through illness, either personally or in someone they love.
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June 16, 2016Following Amazon's purchase of GoodReads, I no longer post my reviews here.
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If you would like to read my thoughts on this book, you can view them in the following places:
BuriedInPrint
BookLikes
LibraryThing
Posting these links does not constitute permission to duplicate these thoughts anywhere, including corporate-owned sites.
If you read/liked/clicked through to see this review here on GR, many thanks.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews