Review: Perfect Chemistry

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


There are any number of books (and movies) out there that tell the story of a romance between the bad boy & good girl or the poor kid and the rich kid. It's a tired, worn out sort of plot. But there's a reason that people keep writing it--when it's done well, it can be a lovely, wonderful story, as it is in Perfect Chemistry.



Alex and Brittany attend the same school; it's a semi-urban (rather than suburban) district that includes both gang territory and the rich shores of Lake Michigan. Alejandro is a member of the Latin Bloods, and he aspires to be the first member of his family to graduate from high school. Everything stands in his way. Brittany is a pep squad beauty whose only desire is to graduate and attend Northwestern so that she can live at home with her disabled older sister.



The star crossed lovers plot, as I said, is not new. Elkeles brings sympathy to her portrayal of these characters, and that's part of what makes the book work so well. As Cherry Valance says in The Outsiders, things are tough all over. However, the genius in this book lies in the fact that no one actually says that line. Love is a gradual process in this book; it has some basis in lust, but these characters don't truly love one another until they have been able to see beyond each other's facades.



This is an extraordinarily well-crafted book, and it is part of the reason why this plot line will always be used. A good writer can still use it to tell an amazing, touching story.



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