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Hello everyone, and welcome to 111 Archer Avenue. What started as a film review blog has become my online judgment forum. I will review the occasional movie or DVD, post an interesting trailer, critique a newly-read book, talk about sports, and share my thoughts and opinions on random issues. You can also follow me on Twitter (@OlieCoen) or check out my work on DVDTalk.com. Thank you and enjoy!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Book Review - The Leftovers


Author: Tom Perrotta
Year: 2011

Given to me as a gift, I had never heard of The Leftovers before, nor had I heard of Tom Perrotta.  When I found out what it was about, I was very intrigued; a 'rapture' occurs in the present day and millions of people from every nation and faith just disappear.  Sounded cool, and I like sci-fi/fantasy/post-apocalyptic themes.  But I underestimated the depth and focus of the book, as it goes far beyond the single event that caught my attention.

The story focuses on the small town of Mapleton, a very normal, suburban community.  It is hit hard by the 'rapture', as is almost every city in the world.   The mayor, his family, and the residents of the town are all touched by the event in some fashion, and deal with the consequences in one way or another.  They must come to terms with their losses if they ever hope to move on with their own lives.

Perhaps I should have known from the title, but The Leftovers was about just that; the remaining people, not the event, not the search for the cause.  It was, in all ways, a character book, following the lives of those left behind and how they chose to cope with fear, abandonment, guilt, all of the emotions that confused and tortured them.  Those who enjoy character study and dialogue will enjoy this book, but don't expect much action or suspense.  The causality takes place offstage, leaving readers to sort through the effects.

My rating: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

6 comments:

  1. Glad you liked it. Or should I say, really liked it?

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    Replies
    1. The four stars speak for themselves. When you read it, think about writing a review and I'll post it on here as a guest post.

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  2. Replies
    1. Same to you, write a review once you read it and I'll post it on here.

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  3. sounds interesting

    ReplyDelete