The Perfect Son

Written by Barbara Claypole White

Narrated by Justine Eyre

From a distance, Felix Fitzwilliam, the son of an old English family, is a good husband and father. But, obsessed with order and routine, he’s a prisoner to perfection. Disengaged from the emotional life of his North Carolina family, Felix has let his wife, Ella, deal with their special-needs son by herself.

A talented jewelry designer turned full-time mother, Ella is the family rock…until her heart attack shatters their carefully structured existence. Now Harry, a gifted teen grappling with the chaos of Tourette’s, confronts a world outside his parents’ control, one that tests his desire for independence.

As Harry searches for his future, and Ella adapts to the limits of her failing health, Felix struggles with his past and present roles. To prevent the family from being ripped apart, they must each bend with the inevitability of change and reinforce the ties that bind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jul 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781501252549

Barbara Claypole White

Barbara Claypole White writes love stories about damaged people. She grew up in rural England, studied history at York University, and worked in London fashion before marrying an American professor she met at JFK airport. Today they live in the forests of North Carolina with their award-winning poet son. Despite detours through journalism and marketing, Barbara chased her dream of becoming a novelist and was thrilled to find a publisher months before turning 50. Never give up is her motto!

Reviews for The Perfect Son

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This will have to be a short review since I have my Havanese sleeping on half of my keyboard! I did like this book, it did drag sometimes but the premise of the son having Tourette's Syndrome and how he and his parents dealt with it was very interesting. Harry, the son, is the primary focus of his mother. His father is very distant and works all the time to support his family. Ella, the mother, spends every minute caring and advocating for her son. When Ella has a massive heart attack, her husband, Felix has to take over the care of their son and home. I'm glad I read this book.

[tonifgmamtc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars

This is the story of a family in crisis. The son has turrets and ADHD. The mother makes him her entire life. She ends up so stressed she has a heart attack. The father is obsessed with working to provide for his family and being perfect. He has some issues of his own mentally as in needing things perfect. It's great at giving perspective if you don't have experience with these neurodiversities. Also, the mother and father do not have good communication skills with each other. All members of the family don't address issues, and ignoring them makes them worse and leads to compounding problems. They all love each other but no one really knows how the other feels. It's a great example of being honest and open with the people you love. I enjoyed it.

[jenn88-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Full-time mother Ella devotes all her time to caring for and protecting Harry, her son with Tourette's and ADHD. Husband and father Felix spends all his time working. When Ella has a heart attack it turns their lives upside down. She can no longer care for Harry, Felix has to become a parent, and Harry worries about his mother while trying to impress his father and figure out his future.

The ending was not very well crafted at all. Some parts dragged on and on.

[haymaai · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

‘The Perfect Son,’ by Barbara Claypole White, is a poignant story about a family undergoing change through crisis. Harry Fitzwilliam, is not just an ordinary teenager, but one who suffers from the frequent tics of Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, and a stress disorder. His father, Felix Fitzwilliam, is a high-powered businessman with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, who has relegated Harry’s childrearing to his wife Ella, until one day a heart attack compromises Ella’s health and changes their world completely. As I read this novel, I was drawn to this family, as Harry, Felix, and Ella struggled to adapt to the changes that were occurring in their lives. What I especially liked was the message that, even though Ella’s failing health threw lives into chaos, an assembly of positive relationships developed as a result. With Ella not working and with Felix being a partner in a successful firm, I was well reminded that the Fitzwilliams were rather ‘well-off’ financially and did not have to contend with extraordinary financial woes that these catastrophic illnesses would have created. I’m sure that a family in poverty might have had quite a different experience from what was portrayed in the novel.

[tipsy_writer · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm starting to feel like I may be the only person who didn't absolutely love this book. I received this book through Amazon early and held onto it for a little while before reading. It's like I had a feeling that it would be just okay. Now you can hate me for this, but I never really felt like there was a point. Sure things happened and characters tried to have dynamic relationships with one another, but I never felt like any of this really had any true purpose. Would I recommend it to someone who wanted me to suggest something to read? No. But it's certainly not a BAD book by any means.

[shelleyraec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When Ella Fitzwilliam is hospitalised after a life threatening heart attack her workaholic husband, Felix, is forced to assume the daily care of his teenage son, Harry. Harry is a bright, handsome sixteen year old, with Tourette Syndrome, ADHD and anxiety, and father and son struggle to cope in Ella’s absence.Told from the perspectives of White’s three main characters, Harry, Ella and Felix, The Perfect Son is a heart warming and poignant story about family, acceptance, trust and love. The changing dynamic of the Fitzwilliam family is beautifully crafted and White writes with insight and compassion for the complexities of a family in crisis.Ella has always been her son’s advocate and his strongest supporter. She doesn’t regret devoting her life to ensure Harry’s well being but hovering between life and death she is forced to let go and trust her husband and son will find their way.As a perfectionist who is uncomfortable with both physical and emotional disorder, Felix struggles to negotiate both the everyday and extraordinary challenges involved in parenting Harry. Initially Felix is largely an unsympathetic character, while devoted to his wife, his attitude towards his son is cold and critical, however as White reveals his painful back story I began to understand his inability to relate to his son, and I really enjoyed the way in which the author developed him.Harry is a wonderful character and I was impressed with White’s well rounded portrayal of him. Harry’s neurobiological issues are a part of who he is, but that isn’t all he is. Like any other teen Harry is contemplating his options for college, falling in love, learning to drive and testing parental limits. He deals admirably with the extra pressure of his mother’s illness and his father’s cluelessness and is a special and genuine young man.White’s secondary characters are also a delight. Ella’s closest friend, Katherine, the family’s feisty elderly neighbour, Eudora, and in particular Harry’s best friend, Max, add humour and sentiment to the plot.Tender, funny, sad and sweet, The Perfect Son is a wonderful story that pulls at the heart strings and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

[judithdcollins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A special thank you to Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Gifted and talented writer, Barbara Claypole White delivers a poignant and complex story of a flawed yet remarkable family, THE PERFECT SON --unglued from life’s tragedies. A journey of finding their way back to some sense of normal; while facing their own imperfections with the help of one another, love, family, friends, and a compassionate neighbor. Stepping outside your comfort zone! A heart-warming story, of love--Ella and Felix met while she fainted in his arms on the tube in London years before. Later she returns to the US and reunites with Felix, and years later marrying and settling in the states in Durham, NC with son Harry. Cultured rigid non-emotion England, meets laid-back, social Southern style NC (now this brings humor and entertainment, in itself). Felix, the father has many issues, baggage and emotional damage from his abused childhood; he is scarred, anxious, fearful, and a rigid perfectionist, and OCD to the max! He is a prisoner inside his own body. His life revolves about order, perfection, demands, rules, lists, and making sure he is financially responsible for the care of his family, providing nothing but the best. As an investment banker, he is a workaholic and leaves the domestic issues to his wife. His gay brother Tom, whom he loved dearly which came to his side often as a boy, died with AIDS, and he misses his presence terribly. Ella, the wife and mother, is a former successful jewelry designer, is loving, caring, and a perfect match for Felix. She is the rock, the anchor, supporting the family and Felix relies on her to care for their neurological son’s needs. Harry has Tourette syndrome (TS), an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by multiple physical (motor) tics, with other emotional and disruptive behavior. Harry is funny, witty, carefree and loves his mom. He is brilliant with almost perfect score on SAT, and his dad lives for him to attend Harvard to follow the path he has set forth. Harry also likes routine, but not so much in the order and perfectionist category like his dad. They butt heads quite often, and his mom is always in the middle to smooth the rough edges, between the two. Harry is highly intelligent, now a junior in high school, with a fun trustworthy and loyal friend Max. He is not good in social settings and his behavior grinds on his dad’s nerves. His dad has no patience and he is unable to deal with more than a few moments alone with his son. When tragedy occurs, with Ella-a heart attack, the entire family falls apart, shattering piece by piece. While Ella is recovering, both father have to find a way to manage, cope, and survive without Ella's help. They are beyond distraught. How will these two survive without killing one another? Who will take care of Harry’s needs?The father and son go through some horrific, rough times on their journey to finding their way back. They may find strength in one another, with the help of witty, lesbian southern friend and neighbor, Kathrine, and best friend Max. With viewpoints and voices from each, we hear from Ella, Felix, and Harry for a riveting and emotional journey, of learning to let go, embracing change, and learning to really live—giving up control, old ways, and opening your heart, mind, and soul, while discovering the real meaning of life, and at the same time, find unexpected fulfillment, hope, and joy.Wow, Barbara writes with compassion, and sensitivity mixed with humor, as these two tightly-wound males struggle with neurological and emotional issues, fighting their way to the top, grasping for air for an emotional roller-coaster ride. Beautiful writing and prose, for a thought-provoking tale of family, struggles, and survival. The character development was stellar, and White skillfully crafts and weaves you through emotional highs and lows with intensity and suspense. In addition to the ARC copy, I also purchased the audiobook, and the narrator, Justine Eyre delivers an outstanding performance with very distinct voices of Felix, Harry, Ella, Kathrine, Max, wise neighbor, Eudora. Not every often do you find a narrator with this wide range of voices. From Southern to British, and hip and funny Max and Harry – "Splendid!" Highly recommend, and looking forward to reading more from this talented author.

[judithrs · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Perfect Son. Barbara Claypole White. 2015. Make this a second Kindle download that I really liked! In the opening scene of this family drama Ella is returning home to Durham NC, and thinking of her son Harry when she has a massive heart attack. Ella has spent her life taking care of Harry who has Tourette’s syndrome and ADD. Ella’s husband, Felix, a handsome Englishman who has control issues, has been the breadwinner and a distant father. So Harry and Felix have to learn how to live together, how to love each other and how to protect Ella from their tensions. I liked this book even though it was predictable at times. Learning about Tourette’s was fascinating and watching Harry and Felix stumble toward love and understanding was too.

[poolays · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At first I thought this would be another perfect mom/child with special needs formula. It's not. The characters are fleshed out well. It is well written. I like when the writing doesn't get in the way of the story, except an occasional well turned phrase that reminds me I'm reading a book. The perfect mom is removed to the sidelines at the beginning, and the story is about Harry, his dad, some friends, and all of them figuring out how to do life. The end ties up pretty quickly, but it has to end at some point, so it's okay. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.