Patrick Gale ~~ A Perfectly Good Man

The group found this an easy, gentle read which everyone largely enjoyed.   We discussed: time with its shifts leading to a big reveal and the re-evaluation of previous events; the many clear and implied religious elements in the sense of confessional (as written in the past tense which distances the reader from action) , the nature of goodness and ‘perfection’ particularly in Barnaby, the devil in Modest; the setting of West Cornwall; the ambiguity of the title (completely good or good enough ?). We were less convinced by the relationship between Nuala and Barnaby (would he really have ripped off his dog collar to have rampant sex with her ?), the huge number of issues covered (adoption, adultery, euthanasia etc.) and the tying up of so many lose ends. Finally we drew comparisons with Barnaby and Stoner ….that combination of passivity and determination which some admired more than others.

 

Scores ranged from 5 to 8 with an average of 6.2.