Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta – A Book Review

Believe it or not, Ghost Town is my first Tom Perrotta book. I primarily picked it up at the library because I recognized his name, had always wanted to read him, and because the book is rather thin.

I initially enjoyed Ghost Town because it is a propulsive read with some chapters running no more than a few pages. Perrotta trims the fat, providing just enough information to drive the story forward and flesh out the characters.

The plot revolves around a grown man who, after years of struggling to make it as a ‘real’ writer, finds fame thanks to a children’s story. He’s asked to return to his hometown for a ceremony honoring his deceased father. The trip brings back memories of a seminal summer in which his mother dies, his liberal adult cousins move in next door, he befriends a stoner who drives endlessly around town, and he becomes involved with an older girl who introduces a Ouija board into his life.

In the end, what I loved most about the book–its pacing–became a pain point. The story stops abruptly. Each of the above plotlines receives only the barest closure, not nearly enough to satisfy me, and left me feeling cheated, frankly. Perrotta masterfully made me care about all of these characters only to kick them out of my life as abruptly as they entered.

Furthermore, it committed one of my greatest pet peeves: a writer writing about a writer who is writing about writing.

However, though Ghost Town ultimately fell short for me, I very much enjoyed Perrotta’s writing style and hope to check out more of his work.