Little Children Falls a Little Short: Little Children Book Review
Jhovahn Gibbs
Issue date: 1/28/09 Section: Entertainment
by JHOVAHN GIBBS
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Ever played truth or dare? The latter of the two options usually lands one in an awkward, somewhat liberating position where the doer's verbal agreement licenses him or her to forget social norms for the sake of a few laughs. It is this "childish" game which puts Tom Perrotta's Little Children in motion and sets the stage for a plot driven by puerile and selfish motives.
Set in the early 2000s, Little Children follows the lives of a peculiar set of stay-at-home moms and dad whose lives revolve around their offspring and the drudgery of defying boredom with diapers.
We're introduced to the "Stepford Wives" of the Rayburn Playground. Todd, otherwise know as "Prom King" by the ogling mothers, and a host of other characters who are somehow shaped to epitomize the title of the book.
Sarah, one of the aforementioned mothers and Todd, whose alias stems from his embodiment of Hollywood's stereotypical male overachiever, begin an adulterous affair induced by a kiss and prolonged by lack of affection from their respective partners. The book spends a great deal of pages detailing their elusive behavior and the intricacies of two individuals contemplating putting their lust for each other over the love of their own children and partners.
The book, a satire of marriage, follows the failure of other couples and the challenges that come with the territory.
The reader gets to know Ronald McGorvey, pedophile and child-murderer who just moved back to town, and the angst that comes along with knowledge of his past.
Little Children embodies what many people have come to esteem in fictional work; readability and relatable references with a few sprinkled chuckles. On this end, Perrotta's book is a must-read. The plot, however, falls short on believability.
Two perfect strangers, both married to other people, kissing in clear view of everyone over a five dollar bet in a playground doesn't hold up. Todd's subsequent obsession with this quirky, sexually inexperienced, relatively unattractive woman, in comparison to his wife, the exact opposite, doesn't quite make sense either. His nonchalant defeatist attitude towards the Bar Exam betrays his "Prom King" persona of confidence even when the odds are against him.
Except for a few ridiculously short scenes, the book lacks any real suspense or climax. Little Children, however, is a worthy reading because of its friendly tone, mild sexual detail, and realness of the characters. The events that transpire are far fetched in some cases, but Perrotta still manages to serve a compelling read.
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Ever played truth or dare? The latter of the two options usually lands one in an awkward, somewhat liberating position where the doer's verbal agreement licenses him or her to forget social norms for the sake of a few laughs. It is this "childish" game which puts Tom Perrotta's Little Children in motion and sets the stage for a plot driven by puerile and selfish motives.
Set in the early 2000s, Little Children follows the lives of a peculiar set of stay-at-home moms and dad whose lives revolve around their offspring and the drudgery of defying boredom with diapers.
We're introduced to the "Stepford Wives" of the Rayburn Playground. Todd, otherwise know as "Prom King" by the ogling mothers, and a host of other characters who are somehow shaped to epitomize the title of the book.
Sarah, one of the aforementioned mothers and Todd, whose alias stems from his embodiment of Hollywood's stereotypical male overachiever, begin an adulterous affair induced by a kiss and prolonged by lack of affection from their respective partners. The book spends a great deal of pages detailing their elusive behavior and the intricacies of two individuals contemplating putting their lust for each other over the love of their own children and partners.
The book, a satire of marriage, follows the failure of other couples and the challenges that come with the territory.
The reader gets to know Ronald McGorvey, pedophile and child-murderer who just moved back to town, and the angst that comes along with knowledge of his past.
Little Children embodies what many people have come to esteem in fictional work; readability and relatable references with a few sprinkled chuckles. On this end, Perrotta's book is a must-read. The plot, however, falls short on believability.
Two perfect strangers, both married to other people, kissing in clear view of everyone over a five dollar bet in a playground doesn't hold up. Todd's subsequent obsession with this quirky, sexually inexperienced, relatively unattractive woman, in comparison to his wife, the exact opposite, doesn't quite make sense either. His nonchalant defeatist attitude towards the Bar Exam betrays his "Prom King" persona of confidence even when the odds are against him.
Except for a few ridiculously short scenes, the book lacks any real suspense or climax. Little Children, however, is a worthy reading because of its friendly tone, mild sexual detail, and realness of the characters. The events that transpire are far fetched in some cases, but Perrotta still manages to serve a compelling read.
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