In Brief: Tom Perrotta

Tom Perrotta writes chick lit for dudes: his novels are smart but not deep, satirical but not bitter. Two of his books, Election and Little Children, have been made into movies, and they work well on the screen, almost better than they do on the page. They read like screenplays for romantic comedies: short scenes made of vivid visuals, snappy dialogue, and sweetly doofy characters. 

His novels focus on the satisfying--and stultifying--aspects of life in suburban New Jersey. The protagonists, usually men, face a choice: should they stay in relationships and lives that, while safe, are gradually growing stale, or should they risk it all for a new love, a new life, or (in some cases) an old dream? Frequently, as in Election, The Wishbones, and Little Children, the question is framed as a clear choice between marriage and infidelity. Thankfully, despite the recurring question, Perrotta does not always settle for the same answer. He alternates between tragic outcomes and happy endings, between settling for the old or risking the new. In fact, I find his books more satisfying the more I read them: he demonstrates an admirable refusal to sell a single answer. 

I just finished The Wishbones, his first novel, and I liked it--probably because I liked his later novels. Try The Abstinence Teacher; try Little Children. If you like those, the others, while less compelling, are worth a go.