The Leftovers: A Novel
by Tom Perrotta
Hopefully not "Leftover" on the remainder shelves (8/15/2011)
I had previously read Little Children by the same author. I really enjoyed the style, structure, themes and was looking for something else by him. The concept on this one sounded great. A possible Rapture occurs in which a number of people simply vanish. This leaves the people left behind with questions and grief over those who left. It seems to affect all of them in different ways and people come up with different ways to cope. Some joint cults, others have a bit of a makeover, and others go on pretending things are normal. It's a great look at grief and how we deal with loss. Brilliantly some of the characters leave by choice and others by the event. It gives a full picture of why people leave and how the circumstances change our reaction. Is there a big difference between whether a wife is zapped up or she can't deal and moves across town to the cult house? Do you mourn a husband who literally disappeared after he emotionally disappeared years ago? I really enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend it. The book was well-written and paced. It was a real page-turner for me. I will definitely be looking into more books by the author.
Ten Thousand Saints: A Novel
by Eleanor Henderson
Not a Bad Read (5/9/2011)
I have to be honest and say it took me awhile to get into this one. The first 50 pages were a real struggle. In the end, I'd have to say that I enjoyed it. That being said, I felt that the story meandered. There were jumps and skips and parts that possibly could have been omitted.
