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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