10. Little Children

My third book of the weekend... and the first one that didn't make me cry, yet the most depressing of the bunch. Little Children by Tom Perrotta (author of Election) was good. A bit dark and depressing, but still a good read. From B&N: Tom Perrotta's thirtyish parents of young children are a varied and surprising bunch. There's Todd, the handsome stay-at-home dad dubbed "The Prom King" by the moms at the playground, and his wife, Kathy, a documentary filmmaker envious of the connection Todd has forged with their toddler son. And there's Sarah, a lapsed feminist surprised to find she's become a typical wife in a traditional marriage, and her husband, Richard, who is becoming more and more involved with an internet fantasy life than with his own wife and child. And then there's Mary Ann, who has life all figured out, down to a scheduled roll in the hay with her husband every Tuesday at nine P.M.
They all raise their kids in the kind of quiet suburb where nothing ever seems to happen - until one eventful summer, when a convicted child molester moves back to town, and two parents begin an affair that goes further than either of them could ever have imagined.

It alternates from one character's perspective to another, with the bulk of the story being told through either Sarah or Todd's eyes. It was a good book, but not one I'm sure I'd suggest to a friend, but mostly because the ending leaves things up in the air and definitely not happily every after. I think that's my hesitation to give it a thumbs up - I like closure and this book doesn't really have it.

Anyway, back to reading about Public Administration - definitely not something I'd suggest to a friend. :)