On the surface, Perfect might seem like a big, salacious, soap opera of a novel. However, the whole point of the story is that you have to look beneath the surface to find the truth. And the truth, for Cara, Andre, Sean, and Kendra, is that sex means more when it's with someone you love.
Sean and Andre have hooked up with their share of girls, but things are different with Cara and Jenna—these are the girls for whom they actually feel something. Kendra remembers sex with Conner not because it was hot, but because it was loving. And as for Cara, she's pretty sure sex isn't all it's cracked up to be—until the first time she has it with a girl.
Questions About Sex
- Why does Sean think that what he did to Cara isn't rape?
- Is there a double standard at play in Perfect? How do Sean and Andre's perceptions of sex differ from Cara, Kendra, and Jenna's?
- Can you ever live it down when someone texts pictures of you having sex to your classmates, like Sean does to Cara? If so, how?
Chew on This
Sleeping with casting directors won't actually help Kendra become a model. She's simply being exploited because she's naïve.
The anger and irrationality induced by steroid abuse fuels Sean's impulsive rape. He might not have violated Cara's body if he weren't violating his own.