Mary’s Pick of the Week The Perfect Home by Daniel Kenitz

Love is in the air for the perfect couple in this debut domestic thriller, The Perfect Home. Dawn and Wyatt Decker seem to have it all; a hit remodeling show, a loving relationship and millions of adoring fans all across the county—but what fun would that be to read about?  Cracks in the veneer begin to surface as the couple struggles with infertility. In an attempt to maintain their camera-ready life Wyatt seeks to cure his impotence with an illegal drug he’s found online from a mysterious site in Germany, against Dawn’s wishes. The couple conceive shortly after, and Wyatt promises to safely wean himself from the drug.  Soon twins arrive and what should be a rewarding, albeit exhausting time in our characters’ lives, heads in a very different direction. Dawn grows alarmed at her love’s increasingly unhinged and violent behavior.  

The pace that Kenitz sets never slows down and while a few twists are predictable, this book is loads of fun and contains some well-written passages, including the following as Wyatt rationalizes his, ahem, wandering eye:

“On our show, the electricians always lecture about grounding.  The electrons need somewhere to go, to disperse into equilibrium inside the house, and I remember thinking once, I get it.  If we’re not talking about The Perfect Home, I become a loose wire, all flailing energy.  I need grounding, too. (62)

The chapters alternate the perspectives of Dawn and Wyatt, including a deep dive into Dawn’s gratitude journal which sheds lots of light on her character.  While Wyatt is truly creepy and the author gives background on his motivations with some brief examinations of his challenging childhood, a little more detail into his psyche would have benefited the book overall.  Setting this book in a lovely home, when both our main characters grew up needing more security and structure is a super conceit—we assume our home is a place of safety and serenity, and not the place where evil lurks.  My only real quibble is a glaring absence toward the end of the book that will leave many parents scratching their heads. But maybe this omission intimates a sequel, which would be welcome.  

Readers looking for more domestic drama might enjoy It’s One of Us by J.T. Ellison and Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell.