The following edition of the text was used in the creation of this study guide: Latronico, Vincenzo. Perfection. Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2025. Kindle AZW file.

Perfection opens with a detailed description of photographs depicting a stylish Berlin apartment listed as a short-term rental. The photos show a well-decorated, tidy space with wooden floors, magazines, and plants. The picture is an image of an ideal life.

The next chapter reveals the reality behind the images. The apartment belongs to Anna and Tom, a couple from an unnamed southern European city. In contrast to the photos, the apartment is often dusty, poorly heated, and cluttered. Before subletting it during trips home, they would clean it thoroughly and store their belongings in the attic. It was when they were leaving that the apartment looked as they wished it to look all the time. Anna and Tom worked remotely in creative digital fields. They had moved to Berlin from their home city, which they found stifling. Initially, they were excited by Berlin’s affordability and nightlife, but they remained disconnected from its history. They were far from fluent in German. They mostly socialized within an international expat community. Though they lived in Berlin, most of their clients were still in their home country. Their work benefited from Berlin's cosmopolitan image.

Anna and Tom’s parents were confused by their move to Berlin and worried about their unstable freelance careers. The couple reassured them by sharing their income figures before being taxed and hiding their reliance on inheritance money Anna had received from her grandfather. While their parents disapproved, old friends seemed supportive by liking their online posts about life in Berlin. Back home, their peers followed conventional paths—internships, permanent jobs, and mortgages. Anna and Tom, who were earning more and using English regularly, viewed their old friends lives as uninspired. In Berlin, their friends were mostly other expats working in creative fields. They socialized around art galleries and events, despite having little prior interest in contemporary art themselves. The group was loosely connected and transient, with people often leaving Berlin suddenly, especially in winter.

Anna and Tom were happy with their life and hoped it would would not change. They were also deeply in love. Their sex life was infrequent but satisfying, though they worried this meant something was lacking. Occasionally, they tried to make it more adventurous—buying sex toys or attending sex clubs—but these efforts were short-lived. Afterward, they would return to their usual routine, unsure if their intimacy was fulfilling or just complacent.

Anna and Tom led a double life—offline and online—deeply tied to social media for both work and socializing. Though they wanted to disengage, they could not. Cooking became a central part of their life, despite having little interest in it before moving to Berlin. Their friends developed similar tastes in food at the same time. Over time, Berlin’s expat community shifted, with fewer southern Europeans and more Americans and Germans arriving—often wealthier, with better tech. Bedbugs became a problem. Anna and Tom consumed English-language media and remained disconnected from German news. Their social circle was broadly left-wing, but largely politically disengaged.

The EU migration crisis hovered in the background until a widely shared photo of a drowned child brought the issue into focus. Germany admitted a large number of refugees, and a camp was set up at a former airport. Anna and Tom’s community rallied to help—creating phrasebooks, gathering donations, and volunteering. However, they soon realized they weren’t effective helpers; language barriers and technology made their contributions mostly redundant. Eventually, they stopped volunteering and returned to their usual routine. After the migration crisis, Anna and Tom became disillusioned with the superficiality of their lives and peers. They decided to professionalize their work by renting an office but were discouraged by high prices. To save money, they took on a demanding freelance project for a hotel. They worked intensely for months, neglecting their social life and cooking. Unfortunately, the hotel ended the contract early, leaving them underpaid and frustrated.

Meanwhile, their social circle shrank as friends left Berlin or settled down. Anna and Tom began to feel isolated and nostalgic for their earlier years in the city. Saturdays were spent at home, watching Netflix and taking long walks. They began traveling more, funding trips by subletting their apartment. They imagined ideal working vacations in places like Greece and Croatia, but the reality—poor WIFI and exhausting schedules—never met expectations. Still, they repeated the cycle. Eventually, they accepted a part-time design job for a new hotel in Lisbon, which included free accommodations. They sublet their Berlin apartment, stored their belongings, threw a farewell party, and left with a sense of excitement that their photos couldn’t quite capture.

In Lisbon, Anna and Tom were disappointed by their hotel room and bored with their repetitive design work. The city reminded them of early Berlin. However, without friends or meaningful engagement, they felt isolated. They frequented the same bar and spent time scrolling social media. When the hotel hosted a digital nomad summit, their contract ended. They planned to stay longer but were asked to leave due to full bookings. At a party, they were denied entry to an exclusive section and went home.

Realizing Lisbon hadn’t brought the change they hoped for, they decided to move to Sicily, where friends planned to summer. The inland house they rented was musty and near a highway. Though meant as a two-week stay, they remained four months, unhappy and arguing. Locals were unwelcoming, and their social media posts, curated to appear idyllic, deepened their dissatisfaction with the reality of their lives. They returned early to Berlin, cat-sat for a friend, and moved back into their apartment feeling drained.

The final chapter, “Future,” is written in future tense. Anna and Tom will search for stable jobs but struggle due to limited language skills. Anna will inherit a farmhouse in their home country. They will decide to move there and turn it into a hotel, working hard to make it attractive. Their opening weekend will be a success, helped by a paid influencer. Afterward, faced with cleanup and exhaustion, they will once again feel dissatisfied by the reality of their lives. However, they will be reassured by glowing online reviews—especially one that says, “It’s just like it is in the pictures” (100).