The Leftovers

Perrotta works his magic again with an intriguing premise: a post Rapture world

Another fabulous novel from Tom Perrotta. It's a wonderful premise - people living in the aftermath of the Rapture, but what's surprising for those left behind is that the world isn't that different from what it was before. What's different is the way the trauma of losing loved ones and closed friends affects them. Perrotta sets the story 3 years after the event, when life has gone back to normal - for some at least - and they're still struggling to make sense of it all. He shifts perspective between the four key members of a family. The father, Kevin, has become mayor of the town and is struggling to maintain a sense of normalcy for everyone. His wife, Laurie, has joined a group called the Guilty Remnant, who don't speak, wear all white clothes, smoke constantly and follow people around trying to make sure no one forgets the horrible day and that a second day of reckoning may be coming. His daughter, Jill, a former honor student, has given up on school and taken up with a fast group of kids who play promiscuous sexual games. His son, Tom, has run off and joined the Healing Hug movement and then discovers its charismatic leader, who promises he can absorb other people's pain with the power of his hugs, turns out to be just another preacher with a messianic complex and an appetite for sex with teenage girls. The other key character is a broken woman who lost her husband and young son and daughter. She's so devastated, she's not sure she'll ever be whole again. It's a fascinating read. Even if you're not religious, it gets you thinking about how we all are collectively blown away by, and then gradually become inured to, major traumas like 9/11. The mother's storyline, though, offers a harrowing portrait of how horribly self-deluded we can become in an effort to have the world's tragedies make sense. Alongside all this "deep-thoughts" stuff is Perrotta's trademark humor. He doesn't write joke lines, just insightful observations and little details that surprise. I fo...