Little Children

1. Little Children is the fourth novel from Tom Perrotta and the third one I've posted on the blog(*). Everything I've read of his so far has featured an array of principle characters interacting in a distinct setting, and this book was no exception.

(*) I've previously read both Election and The Leftovers.

2. The book takes place in a fictional Massachusetts suburb at the turn of the millennium. There's an ensemble of characters here all overwhelmed by varying levels of suburban ennui. They've all got bad marriages and more than a few regrets. One is a convicted child predator, and he's actually one of the more sympathetic characters in the story. Everyone is flawed here and no one is a hero.

3. In fact, the book's very title is a bit deceptive. Early on, the story focuses on various parents in the town and how exhausted they are trying to keep up with their toddlers. But it's these adults themselves who spend the bulk of the book acting like little children, what with all of their fights and flirtatious crushes and bullying. Hell, the book ends with a physical confrontation on a playground and an accident in a skate park. The oldest major character makes what's arguably the least defensible and most immature decision in the novel. The actual children are barely seen or heard from once the book hits its second of four parts. Indeed, the little children in Little Children are all of the terrible adults.

4. The book takes place in the summer of 2001, and I kept waiting for the 9/11 shoe to drop. It just seemed like a natural conclusion for a book about overzealous neighborhood watchmen and summer trysts. Like, even if the book had just ended with a reference to 9/11 occurring two weeks later, that would have lent extra thematic depth to the story for me - commentary, perhaps, on what an idyllic time it was to be an American, blissfully ignorant of any real problems in the world. Alas, no 9/11 reference ever came, which makes me wonder why Perrotta set the story in the summer of 2001. It struck me as an intentional decision since the book wasn't published until 2004.

5. Ultimately, I enjoyed this. It was an absurdly light and quick read, perfect for summer vacation. All three Perrotta novels I've read now have left me feeling similarly satisfied, even if none of them have truly amazed me. He's not quite profound, but he's an enjoyable author and I wouldn't hesitate to dig deeper into this particular bibliography. This book was adapted into a movie at one point, and I bet I'll circle back around to check that out at some point. It's got Kate Winslet, after all, and when has she been any less than stellar?