One of the great things about the Kindle is that there is absolutely no hesitation when it comes to a newly released book. In the past, I would buy a few hardcovers a year, but most of the time I would wait for the paperback version. These days, it's kind of funny when I see the "New In Paperback" releases and think... it's just now coming out in paperback, I read it ages ago!
Tom Perrotta has become a favorite author over the years. I first read Little Children, then back-tracked to his equally popular (and also made into a movie), Election... and I was pretty much hooked with his satiric look at life in the suburbs. His last book, The Abstinence Teacher, was still good... but it just wasn't quite as good. That's the problem with having a favorite author, you just can't help compare one book against another.
At that time, I stated that I thought there was no such thing as a "bad" Perrotta book... kinda like how it's difficult to find "bad" pizza... just some better than others. The good news, here is I still stand by that statement and belief in Perrotta, but I now have this latest effort, The Leftovers, as my least favorite -- but still good -- Perrotta book. That said, I am still a bit concerned about this seeming downward trajectory. But perhaps with more realistic and slightly lowered expectations, he'll get me fully back on board with his next book.
The thing I found a bit disappointing was that I thought the subject matter, a post-rapture-like look at suburban life, was so right up his alley and so ripe/easy plucking for him. I have always found his stuff to have a real bite, but this one just seemed flat or soft/mushy. Likewise, I have always reveled in his insights into everyday life/folks and his sly way of making one understand the motivations behind actions, but here I just felt the extended cast of characters were lost in a the proverbial fog (understandably so!) and some characters (particularly Laurie) I just didn't "get."
While this review seems like a hard slam to the literary ground, it's really not... if anything it is a backhanded compliment to Perrotta as expect a lot out of him. And while he still delivers, he just didn't deliver enough in this one, but still an enjoyable read, and a certainly a case of "like" ... though granted it's typically "love."
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