The novel draws an interesting parallel using this method, as “Then” Quinn and Graham discuss how to weather what they call “Category 5” moments in a marriage. The tension in the couple’s sex life “Now” is vastly different from their intense physical chemistry “Then.” Flashbacks show Quinn and Graham as sexually compatible and active. Quinn mourns the ease with which other women are able to get pregnant, but is also genuinely happy for her sister. Quinn’s sister Ava moves to Europe with her husband and soon becomes pregnant herself. Quinn reacts to this by weeping, which sparks a long period of the couple not having sex. One night during lovemaking, Graham becomes upset when he realizes Quinn is only interested in sex because she’s ovulating he refuses to finish inside of her. In the present, Quinn confides in Ava about her feelings but doesn’t share them with Graham this drives a wedge between the couple. She’s close to her sister, Ava, but their mother, Avril, is cold and judgmental. She meets and loves Graham’s close-knit family, as her own family situation is complicated. However, Quinn’s hesitance is overcome by her deep love and appreciation for Graham. Graham views their relationship as fated, which unnerves the more cautious Quinn. “Then” flashbacks to the rapid progression of Quinn and Graham’s relationship. She copes with these feelings by withdrawing from Graham-crying in the shower and avoiding physical intimacy when it’s not for conception-but also begins to view sex as traumatic. Quinn feels deep shame about her inability to conceive a child this is accompanied by guilt over denying Graham the opportunity to be a father. They try three unsuccessful rounds of IVF and are rejected by several adoption agencies.
Quinn cannot conceive because of her endometriosis, and the couple cannot adopt because of a criminal conviction in Graham’s youth. In the present, Quinn and Graham have been experiencing infertility for years and have been profoundly changed by feelings of guilt and shame.
The novel alternates between scenes set “Then” (seven years ago, at the beginning of Quinn and Graham’s relationship) and “Now” (the present). Six months later, they run into each other by chance and reconnect, quickly starting an intense romantic relationship. Graham leaves Quinn his phone number, but she never calls it. Quinn and Graham almost engage in rebound sex, but are too emotionally affected by their partners’ cheating. She receives this news from the woman’s boyfriend, Graham, with whom she quickly hits it off. Content Warning: All Your Perfects includes emotionally fraught discussion of infertility (i.e., how cultural biases about fertility affect a person’s self-esteem), an instance of self-harm, and a miscarriage.Īll Your Perfects opens seven years in the past, when Quinn discovers her fiancé, Ethan, sleeping with another woman.
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