The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson is about the Miller family. Helen is the family’s matriarch and grandmother to estranged adult siblings, Beck, Ashley, and Jake. Their mother, Deborah, hasn’t always been a parent worthy of recognition and accolades. But then the family is brought together when Helen suddenly passes away. Of course, the last time the family was together didn’t go so well. At the reading of the will, an invaluable inheritance is brought to light. This sets off a journey of discovery for the Millers to uncover truths about their family’s heritage. At the center of this journey is the Florentine diamond, a 37-carat yellow gemstone. And this diamond went missing from the Austrian Empire a century ago.
⠀⠀ This story is all about relationships. Meyerson demonstrates the complexity of sibling relationships extremely well. As well, there are many different romantic relationships interwoven into the story. The notion that sometimes we don’t know what questions to ask of others until it is too late is a recurring theme in the novel for all characters. I love how Meyerson started with a nugget of truth and creatively wrote an entire fictional novel around that truth. And personally, some of my favourite fiction novels are written that way.