Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Leftovers: A Novel
    The Leftovers: A Novel
    The Leftovers: A Novel
    Ebook427 pages7 hours

    The Leftovers: A Novel

    By Tom Perrotta

    3.5/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    With heart, intelligence and a rare ability to illuminate the struggles inherent in ordinary lives, Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers—now adapted into an HBO series—is a startling, thought-provoking novel about love, connection and loss.

    What if—whoosh, right now, with no explanation—a number of us simply vanished? Would some of us collapse? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down?

    That's what the bewildered citizens of Mapleton, who lost many of their neighbors, friends and lovers in the event known as the Sudden Departure, have to figure out. Because nothing has been the same since it happened—not marriages, not friendships, not even the relationships between parents and children.

    Kevin Garvey, Mapleton's new mayor, wants to speed up the healing process, to bring a sense of renewed hope and purpose to his traumatized community. Kevin's own family has fallen apart in the wake of the disaster: his wife, Laurie, has left to join the Guilty Remnant, a homegrown cult whose members take a vow of silence; his son, Tom, is gone, too, dropping out of college to follow a sketchy prophet named Holy Wayne. Only Kevin's teenaged daughter, Jill, remains, and she's definitely not the sweet "A" student she used to be. Kevin wants to help her, but he's distracted by his growing relationship with Nora Durst, a woman who lost her entire family on October 14th and is still reeling from the tragedy, even as she struggles to move beyond it and make a new start.

    A New York Times Notable Book for 2011
    A Washington Post Notable Fiction Book for 2011
    A USA Today 10 Books We Loved Reading in 2011 Title
    One of NPR's 10 Best Novels of 2011

    Editor's Note

    After the Sudden Departure…

    The ultimate tale of survivor’s guilt, where everyone in the world is afflicted and finds bizarre yet familiar ways to help each other cope, and to try to preserve the leftover scraps of humanity after a Rapture-like event.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateAug 30, 2011
    ISBN9781429989138
    Author

    Tom Perrotta

    Tom Perrotta is the author of several works of fiction: Bad Haircut, The Wishbones, Election, and the New York Times bestselling Joe College and Little Children. Election and Little Children were made into critically acclaimed movies. The Leftovers and Mrs. Fletcher were both adapted into HBO series. He lives outside of Boston.

    Read more from Tom Perrotta

    Related to The Leftovers

    Related ebooks

    Literary Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Paul Tremblay

      Jun 17, 2020

      IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF MY BIGGEST FEARS that I would live to see the end of everything,” says Paul Tremblay, speaking to SFX from his Massachusetts home in the middle of lockdown. It’s a singularly peculiar time, and a peculiar interview for him to

      3 min read

    • Article

      What David Foster Wallace Ate

      Sep 12, 2018

      What David Foster Wallace Ate
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Storyteller By Dave Grohl – A Foo Fighter Pulls His Punches

      Oct 17, 2021

      If you are curious about Dave Grohl, drummer from “tragic grunge poster boys” Nirvana, whose Nevermind album has just turned 30, The Storyteller might not be the memoir for you. The band’s legacy remains overshadowed by the 1994 suicide of singer and

      3 min read

    • Article

      How To Install Your First Widget

      Feb 9, 2021

      > As you would expect with Apple, the company has made installing widgets in iOS 14 a piece of cake. Your device will come with Apple apps that have their own widgets ready to go, although you might have to launch third-party apps at least once befor

      1 min read

    • Article

      Just Trust Me: In Praise Of Strange Books

      Dec 23, 2017

      Author Victoria Schwab says she loves the books that can't be categorized, that fall between library-shelf categories, and that spark passionate debate among readers who either love them or hate them.

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Paul Tremblay

      Dec 3, 2020

      For the first time in weeks, I was swept along into that trance, that magic inner space where stories live. The post A Year in Reading: Paul Tremblay appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    • Article

      Modern Feminism’s Big Lie: On ‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’

      Feb 13, 2020

      The problem is the lie the women have been fed: that sexism is over and the world is fair and that if a woman plays her cards right, she can avoid disappearing. The post Modern Feminism’s Big Lie: On ‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’ appeared first on The Mi

      5 min read

    • Article

      Christopher Pike

      Jan 29, 2020

      Christopher Pike
      2 min read

    • Article

      Swisher Sweets

      May 1, 2022

      Swisher Sweets
      17 min read

    • Article

      'It Just Felt Very Wrong:' Sherman Alexie's Accusers Go On The Record

      Mar 5, 2018

      Author Sherman Alexie issued a statement in his own defense last week after allegations of sexual harassment began to circulate online. Now, several of the women accusing him are speaking to NPR.

      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Leftovers

    3.5/5

    963 ratings113 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Even though The Leftovers has a hint of a supernatural storyline - the characters have been left behind after the Rapture - it is pure Tom Perrotta. There are many characters, but there is never a problem of forgetting who is who, or what storyline goes with which character. While the overall story is very compelling and well-done, I was most engrossed by the people themselves, as if the novel was an in-depth character study. Perrotta is skilled at making each character a real person, with their own unique history and voice. There were certain lines that made me laugh out loud, and some that made me catch my breath. Pure Perrotta.
    • 1/5
      First of all, I did NOT finish this book. I have 3 CDs left and I just can't take it anymore. I've been wanting to quit since CD 2 and thought I would give it a try but after reading the reviews I thought forget it. It's SO boring as an audio book and now that I've read some of the spoiler sections of reviews, I'm not wasting another second on this thing. Oh, and to read in one review there is a TV show based on this book! Really?! Who would waste their time on a show based on a boring book. I say skip this one, don't waste your time.
    • 3/5
      Ultimately unsatisfying book about the Rapture, maybe. Lots of people disappear, but not from any one religion or in any recognizable pattern. Not really sure if it's the Rapture or not, people are waiting for the final trump to sound. Don't hold your breath; it doesn't happen in the book. Tells about how some people deal with having their loved ones disappear in the blink of an eye. Definitely some imaginative conceptions, but not earth-shattering or important. Readable and mildly amusing?
    • 4/5
      This was a curious book. It's not quite speculative fiction, not quite dystopian. The author just states that 3 years before, thousands just up and vanished in an event that became known as the Sudden Departure. There's no rhyme or reason to their disappearance. These weren't the "Faithful" as Christians are taught to believe. The novel simply deals with those left behind and how they survive the loss.The author captures American suburbia perfectly. I love how he shows the not-quite-right creepiness of the new order of things. But perhaps I was looking for a stronger emotional connection to the characters and I didn't feel that all of it worked. Good in a thought-provoking kind of way, though.
    • 4/5
      What a different take on the Rapture! Imagine being "left behind" while friends/family/strangers far worse in character than you simply...vanish! The reactions of the people in 1 town (no doubt a snapshot of the rest of the country/world)and the effect of the disappearances are the stories told therein. Most interesting are the cults that spring up with a mixed message of guilt, guile, misguidance, finger wagging, even murder. I wasn't so happy with the abrupt end but not altogether unsatisfied.
    • 2/5
      I heard an interview with the author in which he said he'd at first intended to write a humorous post apocalyptic story. Too bad he didn't stick with the plan. I had no problem with suspension of disbelief - all of a sudden people went missing from the world: christians, jews, atheists, buddhists - with seemingly no reason. That's a fascinating take on the rapture. However even if one can suspend disbelief in the basis of the story, I think true characterization remains a necessity. These characters are plastic and unbelievable, and I've had just about enough sullen, sexually sloppy teen age girls to last me forever. People I don't care about in an interesting situation. That's like being offered chocolate cake and finding it's made out of cardboard. Read it if you have absolutely nothing else to read.
    • 5/5
      This was an interesting book. It grabs you if you are interested in takes on the Rapture. This book focuses on the people who are left behind and how they manage to survive.
      The ending was a real twist.
    • 3/5
      I know I read this book, but for the life of me I can't remember a single thing about it. I remember feeling slightly disappointed at the mundaneness of it after such a big event, which in retrospect is probably the point of the novel. However, I don't remember anything about it besides the premise, and don't know or care what happened to the character. It left absolutely zero impression on me.I originally rated it as 3.5 stars when I read it, but now a year later and I can't remember anything about the book, I'm going to lower it to 2.5. I must have enjoyed it to some degree,but the fact that it left no impression makes me think it wasn't that great after all.
    • 3/5
      Have to say I was a little disappointed in this book. I do love his writing and the premise sounded very interesting, but he did not take full advantage of this plot. Al though I found some of the characters interesting, in particular Nora and Kevin, the book tended to drone on. I found I just didn't really care about most of them.
    • 4/5
      For all that reviewers have picked up on the science-fictional McGuffin of this book--millions of people unexplainedly vanishing in an instant--I haven't read anything of them identifying this novel for what it is: a post-9/11 book. The ones are taken and the ones who are left are so random that the remnant is left not only with the loss but with the survivor's dilemma: "Why?"

      While in the wake of a "mass extinction" event, everyone's life will never be the same, everyone deals with grief in his/her own way. Some barely cope; others manage to carry on in, a little wiser perhaps, in their own way.

      Of course, since the beginning of human history, people have had to deal with the grief of mass losses--the Europeans in the aftermath of World War I, the Russians after World War II, the Armenians, the Cambodians, the Ugandans. But why The Leftovers seems particularly a post-9/11 book is that the way the characters cope with their grief in this book is peculiarly narcissistic, i.e. peculiarly American. Perrotta once again demonstrates he keeps a keen finger on the American pulse and reads it well.
    • 4/5
      The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta is a book about the aftermath of a rapture. One day, about dinnertime, a good portion of the earth's population simply disappears into thin air. The people remaining are left to deal with it the best way they can. What they endure is not a God induced misery of plagues and famine. They are left to deal with the tribulation of dealing their feelings and sense of loss with their wives, husbands, children, parents, friends, family, coworkers and acquaintances that just plain disappeared one day with no warning.The rapture didn't follow any rhyme or reasons, many devout Christians were left behind while atheists, Hindus, Moslems, and other non-Christians went. There was not any word sent down from God about what he was up to either. Some families were left intact, in others, all but one member of a large family left. Softball teams were left without center fielders.So everybody tried to work there way through the results. Some just made the best of it and tried to maintain an upbeat attitude. Others didn't want to forget and didn't want others to forget. They joined a cult called the Guilty Remnant. They live communally, wear only white, and smoke continually to show their status. They follow people around just to show they are watching them. Especially people who are about to do some sinning.I try not to read book reviews before I do mine. That way I have nobody to blame for my uninspiring, off point reviews which despite that are all mine, but I loved the following blurb about this book from a review by Stephen King. He said: "The Leftovers is, simply put, the best Twilight Zone episode you never saw."--Stephen King, New York Times Book ReviewThat in a nutshell pretty well sums it up.I loved this book. I give it four stars out of five. I have never read Tom Perotta before. I'll be checking into his other books. Get it at your local library!! Save some bucks.
    • 2/5
      A clever notion for a book. I wanted to like it but couldn't really get there. None of the characters came to life for me. Leftovers maybe, but left lingering in the fridge too long.
    • 4/5
      My first time reading Tom Perrotta, and I'm happy to to say I enjoyed it quite a lot. I will admit, my motivation for reading this is the knowledge that it's going to be a TV show and I wanted to get in early with the story before it started, but regardless I still found it a really good read.The story takes place after the Biblical Rapture, except most people aren't calling it that considering people who thought they would be first in line to ascend were left behind, and staunch atheists were raptured instead.The premise is great because it adds this layer of unease to every scene. Even though life continues somewhat as normal for people (people still work, go to school, there's internet/electricity, people shop and go on dates, etc) in the back of your mind, you're aware that a Rapture has taken place and these people are living in somewhat of a post-apocalyptic scenario. It's just not a stereotypical one.The story centres around Kevin's family of four, whom all were left behind after the Rapture. But it has still greatly affected them. Kevin is Town Mayor, so he has to stay behind to keep order. His wife, Laurie, took off to join a cult that formed after the Rapture. His son, Tom, took a similar route and began to follow a prophet, and his daughter, Jill, turned total goth-emo. We also alternate into the head of Nora, a mother and wife who is suddenly neither after the rapture.I'm on the fence about the pacing of the story. It skips ahead months at a time, but I liked how it did it. We're in Kevin's head, and then two months later we're in Tom's head. Events never repeat even if they involve two or more of the central characters, we only read them occurring once. I liked this, and didn't like it at the same time. It's a very confusing response!The characters are great, the women are strong if a little bland and one-dimensional. Nora is probably the most intriguing female character, though Christine may have been if we delved into her head. She plays a teen impregnated by the prophet Tom followed who finds herself alone after the prophet is arrested. Tom takes care of her through her pregnancy and develops a love for her, which I found totally unrealistic. She seems like quite a horrible sort of person which I feel could have been better understood had we been privy to her inner-thoughts.The Tom/Christine storyline, or forced storyline as it seemed, was probably the weakest part of the story for me. We basically spent the whole of Tom's story learning how attached he's come to Christine and the unborn baby, and how he fears that it might be a girl when the prophet and all his followers are expecting a boy. And then after Christine does deliver a daughter and wants absolutely nothing to do with her baby, Tom carts her around while taking full responsibility for the child and caring for her. Then, when Christine eventually ditches as she is expected to, Tom just drops the baby off on his parents doorsteps where she is found by Nora (who has been trying to attempt a relationship with Kevin with limited results), and then the novel ends with her finding the baby and Kevin coming home. Very odd way to end, it seemed rushed and silly in a way. I would have preferred to be in Laurie's head after she witnessed Meg shooting herself.But despite my issues with it, it was an enjoyable book that I recommend :)
    • 4/5
      Usually I think Tom Perrotta books make better movies than novels. This is my favorite of his novels that I've read--maybe due to the central conceit more than anything else--and although I don't think it's a great book, I did enjoy it all the way through, which is more than I can say for The Abstinence Teacher. I didn't think Laurie's storyline held together that well--if anyone can explain her motivations to me, drop me a line, because I found pretty much everything she did to be inexplicable--but I still found this to be an engaging read.
    • 4/5
      Another book without an ending. (It doesn't bother me, but I know it does bother some.) Some great concepts. I really enjoyed where this story took me. I wouldn't call this a hopeful book. Maybe even a little depressing. I enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      What an interesting book this was that sets us in a town after a portion of it's citizens have disappeared. The people that were left behind struggle with reasons as to why they weren't taken and where exactly the missing people went. They were here one second and gone the next...but gone where?Kevin is the mayor of Mapleton and although his family weathered the Sudden Departure, it definitely left them all broken in their own way. Kevin's wife Laurie does not think that the way they are living is benefiting society, so she joins a group that believes they are fulfilling a greater purpose. His son Tom was in college when the Departure took place, so after losing half of his classmates to this event, he withdrew from school to follow an odd character who also thought had all the answers. Kevin's high school daughter Jill still lives at home, along with her best friend that moved in, but high school has been elevated to a new level since the Departure.We follow all of these characters lives throughout the novel, as we get a closer look at their hopes and fears. They are all trying to move on with their lives, but find themselves stalled as there is so much uncertainty in the world where they live. Half of the population is gone and who is to say that the rest of us won't be gone tomorrow?There is so much to contemplate within this novel and I really feel that I shouldn't disclose any more about it that would ruin the story for you. I love stories that make me stop and think, "How would I react in this situation?" That is the type of book this is and the narrator did a great job of keeping the listener's attention. With themes of end times, forgiveness, love and redemption, this book will give the reader or listener plenty to ponder long after you have turned the last page or listened to the last track.
    • 4/5
      Weird, but thought provoking. Where did all those people go?
    • 3/5
      Really interesting premise and an unusual twist on the idea of the Rapture. The "action" of the murders seemed gratuitous and added for effect--violence just for the sake of adding something to the story.I read this close in time to reading "The Returned" and it was an interesting juxtaposition.
    • 2/5
      The Leftovers are those left behind when many people on the planet are abruptly disappeared. It sounds like the Rapture, but the disappearances are random - Greta Van Susteren, Adam Sandler and the Pope are among the missing celebrities. Nevertheless, those remaining are prompted to make religious sense out of it all, and various oddball cults spring up to help people cope.This book was very strange, and I mostly didn't like it. I get that the Sudden Disappearance was not really the point of the book, but when you use a plot device that dramatic, you owe the reader a little meat: the impact on the world economy, on war, on media, etc. Inside, the book focuses on the white-bread residents of an excruciatingly banal suburban town, and their - I'm sorry - boring little dramas. If someone decided to write a parody of what a post-apocalyptic novel would be like if Tom Perrotta wrote it, they might come up with this. Somebody please tell me what I'm missing.
    • 4/5
      I really like Tom Perrotta's writing style. I am slowly making it through all of his books - so when I went to the bookstore and saw this one I grabbed it without knowing what it was about. I have to admit that I when I sat down to read it - I still had no idea - I didn't read the back and thought the picture on the front funny but had no idea what it was supposed to mean.I probably wouldn't have read this book if I had known its premise. This is not my sort of books even though it was written by a favorite author. I am glad that I read it! I really enjoyed it. Even though the premise was sort of out there - the writing and the stories were just as good as all the other Perotta I have read. Once the premise was set it was just kind of like - okay... here we go - lets see how this all plays out in peoples lives. There were a lot of characters - but after a while I got all the names straight and I cared about all of them. I really liked it. I would recommend it.
    • 4/5
      When a large number of people simply disappear at precisely the same time on the same day, those who are left behind have to draw their own conclusions about what happened. Perrotta explores the variety of responses to this event in his new novel, The Leftovers. I found the premise of the book fascinating, and Perrotta managed to keep the story interesting throughout. When a wife and mother of two joins a group called the Guilty Remnant, her husband tries to continue his "normal" life as mayor and father. His son begins to follow a man named Holy Wayne, who believes that his unborn child will save the world, and his daughter rebels in a more typical teenaged fashion. Their storylines weave with those of other survivors to create a complex picture of the coping mechanisms that are used to deal with the losses and uncertainty. While I enjoyed the story, I didn't connect deeply with any of the characters. Still this was a solid 4 star read for me.
    • 3/5
      What happens to those huwho remain after a rapturelike event causes a mass disappearance? This a study of how people behave in the midst of grief and a loss of their faith in a predictable future. Some choose a cult devoted to the idea of an immanent end of the world and some live a life that seems remarkably unaffected by the recent catastrophe. Interesting, but I found d that I didn't develop much connection with the characters.
    • 5/5
      This is flat-out fantastic. Take all the best bits of Perrotta's previous genius novels (Election, Joe College, Little Children, The Abstinence Teacher) and mix it with a "Rapture-like event" and... Perrotta's best ever!

      Read it quick, before they turn it into a TV show and it loses its amazingness.
    • 3/5
      Tom Perotta's The Leftovers is set in a typical American town and is full of typical Americans doing typical things. The only catch? These people have been left behind after a day when people disapeared, at random, from their daily lives. There is significant fallout from this event, and while some people have tried to resume their daily lives, others have joined religious groups, social movements, or are just left asking why. The Leftovers certainly explores an interesting topic--what would people do after a rapture? Would they go on with their everyday lives, or would they throw it all away, knowing that they only have a limited time left to live? Perotta uses his usual blunt, straight on approach to telling the story of this world, and his approach gives the reader an almost documentary like view of his picture of the post rapture world. I thought that the book was well written and explored the topic in an interesting way. The only problem with it (and ultimately the reason I didn't really enjoy this book)? None of these characters were very likable to me, and by 2/3rds of the way through the novel, I was ready to be done with them and their helplessness.
    • 2/5
      In my opinion, the book had an amazing premise. Millions of people gone in an instant, often right in front of you. How would you react? How would the world continue? Unfortunately the author did not take advantage of the opportunities presented by the scenario. The characters seemed a bit extreme - either joining a ridiculous cult/religious group, shaving their head and almost failing out of school, or just pretending like everything is normal. I just felt like there were very few realistic responses to such a tragedy. Nora was the only one who I felt was realistic about the tragedy. She was depressed and didn't know how to move on, but her emotions seemed realistic. She was however the only one I felt was treated appropriately. The remaining characters made me want to shake my head and roll my eyes. Additionally, the book ended VERY abruptly. I wasn't enjoying it that much, but as I was nearing the end and waiting for some resolution for the few characters I felt anything for, the book ended. It almost ended in the middle of a thought. I turned the page and literally said "Seriously? That's it?" to the person sitting next to me. Although I didn't care about the characters during the actual book, I had tons of frustratingly unanswered questions at the end. I made it all the way to the end and you're not going to tell me what happened? I feel like another author needs to take a shot at a subject like this. Not a recommendation.
    • 3/5
      Okay, I have to say I am a little disappointed by this book! A ton of people vanish out of thin air. Some believe it is the rapture, while others are not so sure.

      The story rotates between the different characters and their life stories. Just when you are getting to know these people and are invested in their lives...BOOM...the story is over.

      It was an abrupt ending and just seemed like Tom Perrotta was tired of writing about these people and decided to end it quickly.

      I was left wondering where the vanished had gone, with no answer. I am hoping that this is just the first novel and there will be another to follow.

      If not....I will be very disappointed! This was the first book I have read from Tom Perrotta. I did enjoy what I read, I just don't like the ending AT ALL!

      I don't want to completely trash this book! It was an enjoyable read-which is why I gave it three stars-but the ending was why I only gave three stars.

      The characters were an enjoyable bunch to read about. They were very memorable.

      Be prepared to be let down if you are looking for answers to where the vanished are. If you want to read a book about quirky memorable characters and don't care for much of a conclusion than you will enjoy this book.

      *For those of you who don't know, this book has been made into a television series that airs on HBO. The first and second episode have already aired, the next episode will air this Sunday. This is going to be one of those rare occurences where the show/movie is better than the book.
    • 4/5
      This book is perhaps more poignant this year (2011), than in some others, given that we've experienced one major and one almost ignored "Rapture Scares". The world was supposed to end on May 21, 2011, and then, when it did not in fact end [ahem], the leader of this recent movement declared that in fact the Rapture would occur October 21, 2011. As I write this, on October 23, we are once again, all left behind, which is the subject of this interesting book by Tom Perrotta. The basic premise is simple - what happens to those who have been "left behind" after the Rapture? The book doesn't answer, nor does it seek to answer, the question of what happened to the people who disappeared, but then again, it doesn't need to. The story of those who remain is interesting enough.
    • 3/5
      Based on the premise presented in the jacket cover of this book I was looking forward to an atypical story of the rapture and while I got that it was lacking an overall point to the story itself. It felt like a disjoined story that was raising towards something that never came in the story. While characters were well-developed it felt that some were forced into the story in order to add more pages to what could have been a shorter novel, in particular the character of Aimee.

      As I was reading the parts with Tom were probably the ones I found myself devouring the quickest, until the last few times he appeared which felt organic for the character, but also a bit lackluster in where you wanted the overall story to end up. The rest of the characters meandered around to the point you wondered if they were going to achieve much of anything at all throughout the story. I feel like I understand that Perrotta was not trying to write a "why did the rapture happen" story, but it feels like he was trying to tell a story of people moving on after a great tragedy. I am not sure how successfully he does that here. While all the characters do indeed move on in some context it feels that many of them stay trapped in their old lives in some capacity. I enjoy a book, personally, where characters move forward or learn something over the course of the pages I read and unfortunately it does not feel like they did here.

      If I am giving this thus far a negative review why did I give it three stars? It is well-written. Perrotta obviously knows how to craft a story, but knowing how to craft a story does not always make it a success. What this story lacks is a backbone or something to move it forward towards being more than just a group of people that no one cares to read about. Characters do not even intermingle in a meaningful way for the great majority of the book.

      I was left with a bad taste in my mouth for huge chunks of the book, wishing that it would all be over soon. When I finally started to like it I neared the climax of the story. As it neared again the story went to a horrible place for me with the plot, characters, and overall theme of the book. I wanted so much to like this book that I randomly picked up in the bookstore on sale, but unfortunately sometimes there is a reason that a book is marked down and this was one of them. I recommend this for people that are okay reading about everyday life and the changes people can go through after a catastrophic event. I will give Perrotta another chance by reading one of his other works, such as Election or Little Children because you should never judge an author by one singular book that you have read by them but multiple works because an author may be trying a new formula or any number of things with a book, so I say if you don't like this one try another maybe one will click with you or even me in this particular case.
    • 4/5
      Interesting story and concept. Very compelling premise. Although you are not left with an answer to what happened and why, the characters' different reactions make the story great.
    • 5/5
      Subdued just like the suburban life which is its backdrop, "The Leftovers" is a poignant post-9/11 tale about the various ways people cope with great and sudden loss.

    Book preview

    The Leftovers - Tom Perrotta

    zabook_preview_excerpt.html}rId}.2JDH-IF@,&2y!=?l?^ɞs#2AUؚuHHDFqwLJ>-xէe?Ośx}\^C[b]ŗXTM1bB3 UWُ]nМ]lEA۴m]&=ߣmjc:\q爯bMպ_UEF!u]\x}qSqx] C4eXs8?]MDwo.UW \s#V?5*4ŦbSXZmsjt-vՖ"=?X:Zq_·Zu=Zc{JlLp֮q7`Mc[uxy85Ni/ƶ6Cr>]]8m6^79t'v~U+\qQ\ w(vmQ mɬ?`>8B׎۝kM?{BTz:t:}$ S q>M#/rv=jq,c۔G{-ӥm[ji~om^mv˃a OyKظ_OW8B]\W=V!@?_]REuX|~&&W>lc )Ӟ (N%v슛qovquh!)CM;$ 5_TTHW58 kBK^!'[u8 f|k;@yjP;K(^s,RNxMKQ]qX'wgG 5f\\Q+v8A$ZfWP*S[{"+lhP#!O\}P; R Uwh;(IGMnb#.d/%L"yv-~3;m'=PD\or4vǷJ^* TGL`|;bjV0Ӑ}#l= {ecz V7~⣉MY@== ;~c^v}|O15m=bhf׭nY ;SWbᐅnPwp!m6zmx{.l׷m]H 0gЎx,,w{䣞nGƶFdP.k [F9224haR [Ҋ}G~_z"}Ie`OMڻu;֎GvCnߘr8ӛ]#&yKRsjG4.P0EeES4P}EFZtټ6C+$~_e;pn&u,QJ܂)ڞ[p. UhVKfquE%]\{M- /@X9bݽLg~~%b*ټI yVh3_I'*e<8 P{m^S7JǬѫQݴ{d5 >XсA~ߑ0 KHA dEQ*dհߵV~)oɍ|*l(5vTnX!a#3.˗RF7L"GC>0X e`K&ڣ_=>V1ȅC_wώIkb4;ff*"yh{x[/]j8!r+t {?͆=s`!D<j !i Eda[uuʻ0.sX~lX_ \u [OHn#se쌬xS1wIkMK(7)S=CN4՞ ܎CٟYciVџۿ*LGܧ' *Ka@I@#E Ʒ{'`mS}Sv컂3ylcVh9"hG,sUٟb;Y)s Cw6Ê.{{`ka "ؼJ*@l%0$HfKEPTo~Oꅮ ӥyaas2{c:VYT4e5wpm0cm ZIx>z)9~\17/:~r RWJ2~xem8”qJL҅ H@>/eaᱸxY>ݾR<,?]=]xo/˻3x~yv!wś/x;^/rX\}^>X?/.O>, ]+d!@ 1Qm`o ԼJa̝0c=ȩ ?eTX `\tH ]^bdDqbŷ# V}ۭ<\,E]LI$,Cl)ɻJzXӲhep@A\'#vdDDǿay.BYp{d"P, 'JYU sT/RT8 ϰ!|ܤv kn&?2Jk`;0&:yo W?62;7C Q^W6jX`c@8њ?!7堸 ܴPBEThr=QMrkJ(eJkvJn$EqR?%*q{KmZo]L;Tg2៬h>&ZrR?\nuN):ή$1@H"S.ޫܢ ~UJn_5JyrsE8 ڇnjlժy(ft <^3uýYJZMA9#\!}Wf%n%ml"CSToe'> uN%n/JвGJrIniJZ@ Y:)ӆNZ[@)Fd %K %M!\ cH_X9˔D ֹT׾ vPt p]glAmJ^)w$*D8+ENmIa*,|-Q9V{YJ\dhDwMzINHuKW53=~?JSCnL^6R< 8D\[J_c:q`ʐ 6-ߍnMXy3WkR{epM?8oNȑRA|$q b%Xy!X)Nxp?M&@)e=:p9 <*!B #VM#2ˑYJf^2KL8ffq1I6Ġp,ED ȕM@3FYI&c32/-iI׬(^dF߬tk%=#mX]c2u}MpН LE0ƫkb&e::aMoخl9L$?z\߫z ׾h8{+G:@8[y(H/pݗ۔\$5X]}:̃Y7\CC5c@ ldO U-IalZ|G`)*fxXF .J^#E#ڮ MOh2>ZunKm2|oۦłrdF QϫCz]/ďo8 g]Y&DچSȞ۲e]Sp0Y4CA ;HeS a8[WV4).<,|ʔ`5\o^AEMVg5xSɬHJvvQǼ` TRCdk/f%+7+_-00D ~.gfq lB[:u,E @i>y |Q45S 6 AJ(l%xK;lUAMlJ3YbW7QF !F|`\il%6jfFFgZXյ^1V8)H#?;}XYuLu/sMv% k[8 X 5py*aGkT_<{K_U?@e.f9O>'"jpDt/Ǡ2 /Z#'@cj[aȘ0>{B_ZƏR|mA/,'w:-[\$cw9 eqlO%VVSYYܢ*9݈@^HxX7)"O&C/:1,([xQp,/y}Sњeۆb Ya$)nۚ (ii&sh<8!*ag&pɅ1 ׄvnwn ոs4g'#25,} ,vxExqJScYW6;bvcxa|$BG5<,_Wo䫇/ݿt|_>/|X\EJxZl6MDزۛ($^Q7Ц}~!B-lLYe!1j L8k-K +f@)7YCJ4, P6('_8lHL_nZzBYXLܵnsP';|+GȐx.2){::g-bکJvWi-|J+>:$7>vheMTmTxTtz~I"8YxC X\_ ݉ ֦&:Ϊ, ΋sL` U?vfJёDc%%KSfʹ9Mg>@l o5ѭĜme9D7fZkPe(;y&#")K¦D__?33혲"Ԅ_)U0s8V]M5#0xPqO,aa&~Xj;mY; M|*{V:u^Wg7lmاT/FE:C3]5a=OIfq["@$ AREaH3ŝl`fʆx~V%W}f$rEo/V[]@f<(aYnw?>煬Tr?E+D8TђٸD/kHxnɁuXc}5A*,L^(Y%ٺdXsϖԳ\J97>SǹONb X0Ii5+6V fJ! : .ͷ51,EEcW~^y&f4EgOqk|N Ǜ/BVx~Y\ݽ[IJ'V"+ȿ+aϲenVB#~B`X2& xf~.R0{ .?RgɰOky%bY0J M/ۛOO7O7;nj,l`zrIp֗֍E5/5R0۴bl*+Y/${6D-ԝRC5885pgR4"[%̺ E'!; mV`aê~,08kL^rq.psƯJ! șhz*LJݳUC?BDmme6Γ4(&+u%ص)p;V ")"Ig/vډ%Mkd"9Ee[a Q (p__VZ,?&" j 1ʕj!)uLћ!=:P{e<4iKY| mP5GSfN؋zDHCSjn V/O5KbBͱ@-BUPJ;HOXK h!2_zJ*bw(/p" &VCx X!N RDY)OȚ?2hK/֌?IIФ}eR~kK%#wU؈}*v$. 4ce\+C%&^ߕ?$iNm (sP-LƒY2>cjk߯k?@o/ack, Fm (S!vxBLl&1.vfC?s> YNsN^yD (̈KyJL˺dV)kKA>E@4wu82I8=zZ2 fj4N"o0zfd3m@VV[#pQo)X8&q!3X ɹ|}l)18v@4|6X3LKh,U~++PAqWf]9}r1:}SjI^=t`u.Xkf pJ)sn\ /m"0fu{M`A}2oH̋OuJ{JW;~;}C`u\/\ i!4f\KnT뾣y%'E91;&m:p6ܹ,JyaO,H* DmGЧF5{0ϻj)[эUl̎cvIU%ORǗwo %%/5Í+r8m4A/tf C*Ifngݍ]OK.w1v4hЬVZS%8xl_TkZ9LdvU,,`uP3XJAc5q*ɫ}&swnnxU.p ů2Ҿ^L nDzƪ4v3_@="H*"]YK >̑-/8c͒uyd[Ζu>= v>:-0`<4=,)8,OM ³uGg`v*Vt r Uʚ|Ǜc Ԫ[.Y8VtTLH=VIFS_sS4K?]/޿|,[~,qyCM7ʼnW\Sj}7ߟ[>/ٵsN rnR{T (ePӅ-PUY3%s"5Ғ* 8LKĝclp$7<7i ҘqSNDu1]h>}lwqO/fIUa v4hi5P>Rq GK8fPr :1>B{Q/ 95eyQE㐦K"i0{cpYx2ڀeM#"lܸޟs*Qʺb\U=ntBh\FiLRIztFʙ~e'.魇p4hxgYm_˜h7tbǒʦ*9~h9/wwMU CVw7Hm&>M^%8S"YX&|=elTu,sĖCK;})|QMz&ûb0qCrjt*9r⠋)%- zH`1hL)#3$9IWh6¿Ԝ!6w*<9]Ndٴ&Y:05R$fv-k>;Խ0NKlIw%`s|-۟\ ̴)ٱ'ZlRXa1rZllǽŲ9̩xmUB:vT}׬)OFک󗊙f B%I`?aZwtJ /ۣUgUZs0bMƇMKuLӯ=I2RD9MƄ#l(dzǼ/OsKQ GC7zLfmiXfvyk>0Ҹ4'ek5{urBϾ+j:fFY󕷱$=)8V=篬!?A&n~O4>h=":X#-Or.gsPsg}wy ,{TQAxP;'%/7*,Ed&.G=/G(^i[/6SWsP{ #Naڕ)K;vڞ= G?UP7p%w |Jd_Ű=",O(\?eر[ZQku_3cŲ}cGJݰ  75N(X$|Yc\8!g G O2px{Z> 6|R/8/39:oSSIla,xRAJO JS1Df7T3XXu%y{<'!/jOj LRߓ01 hqwKp磊Hf!bDM^GH[-Yկ UT-k_a$j:S!WDylS>De`mٟgO 36uɎq==M#|d{, 6޹F2рK1ǽk9͋7Ojhwt8ێvj '5xKi3.c?j3@U[NF %٘g@{q!Mͨ0Sr_c3EfTtߍjEPzӠy*+Ѥ"2>ͣӷ(KDHo,MZq7&pP]nA5՘vICijWz>YKt?4^*_?Fgc2Tt6O#o8ujzլt$TY+RI{⬅e HaO߱DVac]FN#meD~6`=QBDh32?T9w8v 6IE݌bR ~oǨ Wkc4ZR:DpT;g0Oġ Y^ϴ3ggZr 6DׁÆ^-%::|ϨICD,O"5dFUk2uM=KkfJ*U~KmrSrÄyV'ğg0XoOdv S9ڤST^JEogJ~%ŞOͨC z+lAyQjK6\9l>:ETܭk6^yY-nX"3Ɏd%]цlf$xNf]Q bg޶ky L,p٪""-{uٱ=LMj6:G򡦇aX/l  ^,5ӄ
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1