This June we tackled Tom Perotta’s rapture-esque novel ‘The Leftovers.’ My interest in this title was sparked when the HBO series based on the story was announced (and that Justin Theroux would be in it!). From here on out, there are spoilers so please beware!
I feel like in most novels that mention the Rapture (biblical event where select individuals are saved by God before the apocalypse destroys Earth) or Apocalypse, we’re treated to a lot of chaos and disorder, but Tom Perotta decided to go a different route and tell us what happened in the calm between those 2 events and specifically to those who weren’t taken/saved by God. The story is told from several points of view and revolves around a few key characters: Kevin, the mayor the city, his wife, Laurie, and their children, Jill and Tom, and Nora Durst, whose husband and two children were both taken. Laurie leaves Kevin and their family to join the Guilty Remnant, a cult that requires members to be silent, smoke, and follow residents of Mapleton around as a reminder of the Rapture. Tom drops out of college to follow Holy Wayne, a self-proclaimed prophet who falls from grace and leaves a pregnant child-bride that Tom must escort across country. Kevin, Jill and Nora attempt to live their normals lives in Mapleton, but their lives are now really anything but.
I loved the idea of watching these people navigate not only the loss of their loved ones, but also the idea that they indeed were left. Most characters struggle with this idea that they weren’t good enough at some point. This is highlighted by Matthew, a pastor who decides to write a paper that exposes the sins of the taken. Nora’s husband becomes the subject of an article and she learns that he was having a pretty torrid affair with their daughter’s preschool teacher. Initially, Nora is completely distraught by this news, but then it seems to really help her heal and move forward in her life. Her husband had been knocked off his pedestal and she started to remember him as he really was, instead of like a martyr.
Laurie’s storyline was the one that bothered me the most. I’m not a mother, but I couldn’t understand how she could leave her entire family for this strange cult that didn’t do much of anything. They just stood around, smoking, trying to make people feel bad for enjoying their lives and forgetting about the Rapture. I’m sure some people (like Nora) would have considered Laurie lucky; none of her family was taken. But, she still decided to join the Guilty Remnant. Even at the end of the novel, when she discovers that GR members must murder their partner to remind the citizens of Mapleton of the Rapture, she still doesn’t leave. She doesn’t kill her partner (Meg takes care of that herself), but she leaves in the getaway car, apparently never to return to Mapleton or her family.
I really enjoy The Leftovers and the calm, apocalyptic story. Tom Perotta’s characters spoke for themselves and didn’t need bloodshed or destruction to convey their confusion. It was a refreshing read and I can’t wait to see how the TV show measures up! For July, I’ve selected a book that’s been named one of Amazon’s Best Books of 2014 So Far: In Paradise by Peter Matthiessen.
We Read "The Leftovers" by Tom Perotta This Month! [CC Book Club]
