A tale about a tumultuous summer in 1970s suburban New Jersey, from the perspective of a middle-aged writer looking back on a series of events that changed his life—and the story he finally has the courage to tell.
Jimmy’s time with Olivia, featuring séances and make-out sessions, recaptures that 'distinctive and weird' magic present in Perrotta’s earlier fiction, and introduces a supernatural element to the novel that’s only committed to fitfully. It would have been fun to see Perrotta embrace that ghostly angle more robustly, particularly because much of the rest of the novel consists of watered-down takes on a story that’s been told many times and better, including by Perrotta ... Cliched ... Perrotta clearly enjoys revisiting his fictionalized childhood, but this time around, he’s the one who’s lost the wonder, the one who seems afraid of provoking too strong a reaction, and a ghost town that doesn’t make you feel even a little uncomfortable is just emptiness.
Perrotta elevates what could be a standard coming-of-age adventure with sly twists, leading to an ambiguous conclusion that will be alluring fodder for book groups.
Tender ... This insightful novel about adolescence, grief, and the lifelong project of reconciling past and present is a solid buy for fiction collections.
