With vacation coming up, now seems like the perfect time for a new book recommendation.
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I love author Tom Perrotta. Not just because he's from Massachusetts (bonus), but because he has carved out the most interesting, fascinating and disturbing niche for himself. Perrotta writes about the secret life of suburban families in a way that no one else can. If you haven't already, read his books "Election" and "Little Children" (perhaps you saw the movies?) and his short story collection called "Nine Inches" (read my review of that here).
Perrotta's most recent novel is called "The Leftovers." Yes, it is the book that spawned that wildly popular HBO television series. I decided I wanted to read the book first and then I would reward myself by streaming the TV series.
The premise of "The Leftovers" is that on one random day, out of nowhere, several people in every community across the United States just vanish. Wives, husbands, teachers, children, grandparents - no one was off limits. In the book, this day is called the Rapture.
The story follows a few individual people as they try to cope with this new reality. Most of the chapters focus on the members of one specific family of four - Kevin, Laurie, Jill and Tom. Each family member has their own significant story line.
Then there's Nora, a mother trying to grieve the loss of her husband and children. To remember her kids, Nora watches at least one episode of "Spongebob Squarepants" every day.
Most of Perrotta's work has a sick, twisted edge to it. This book was much more morose.
Despite the change in tone from his usual work, I still found myself gripped to "The Leftovers." I read it in two plane rides! There is something intriguing about how people mourn, change, grow and adapt. Perrotta does a great job of crawling into those sacred places in the mind.
If you're looking for a book to take on a holiday trip next week, get your hands on a copy of "The Leftovers." Then we can all have a HBO viewing party!
