Perfect begins with the backstory of Conner Sykes, one of the three main characters in Impulse, as told by his twin sister, Cara. Conner's still in Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital, and Cara tells us about the day Conner shot himself. His parents' unrealistically high expectations played a role in his suicide attempt, and in Perfect, we see that these expectations are messing with Cara's head, too.
In fact, all the narrators in Perfect—Cara, Kendra, Andre, and Sean—are going through the mental stress of trying to maintain appearances. It's just that they're not all in Aspen Springs… yet.
Questions About Madness
- Is a person who attempts suicide always suffering from mental illness?
- Why is Cara able to deal with her parents' pressure without ending up in a mental hospital, but Conner isn't?
- Does Sean actually have schizophrenia, or will his symptoms go away once he stops taking steroids?
- Would Kendra have developed an eating disorder if she weren't a model?
Chew on This
Parental pressure can drive sensitive kids to take desperate actions, including suicide.
Just because your twin has a mental illness doesn't mean you will, too.