The Leftovers

A welcome return to form for Tom Perrotta after the somewhat disappointing ‘The Abstinence Teacher.' Leftovers' plot device is refreshingly original and thought-provoking: what would happen if a Rapture-like event (inscrutably mysterious and secular, with non-Christians and bad eggs just as likely to have disappeared as Rapture-believers) occurred causing millions to just suddenly disappear from the world? The story takes place two years after the event and follows a ‘typical' suburban family through the aftermath.

Perrotta excels at developing multiple characters and propelling a story through those characters' alternating takes on the narrative. The characters in The Leftovers are nuanced and believable, while being sympathetic. The Garvey family and those in their near orbit are real enough that their mistakes are both cringe-worthy and horrifying, and their suffering palpable.

The plot bogs down slightly in a couple of places late in the book, but was otherwise a page turner (or rather button pusher). The Leftovers is both an entertaining read and, at a deeper level, a remarkably unsettling story. While the mass disappearance that propels The Leftovers doesn't engender easy parallels with the real world, I found the widespread breakdown of both society and individuals disturbingly familiar.