by Tom Perrotta
First published 2006
Todd earns the nickname "The Prom King" from playground mothers in his quiet suburb. His wife Kathy makes documentaries but envies how naturally he connects with their toddler son. Sarah once called herself a feminist but now lives as a traditional housewife, watching her husband Richard retreat into online fantasies instead of engaging with his family. Mary Ann believes she has marriage mastered, even scheduling intimacy with her husband every Tuesday at nine. These parents raise their children in a community where routine dominates until one summer disrupts everything. A convicted child molester returns to town, unsettling residents. Meanwhile, Todd and Sarah begin an affair that escalates beyond what either parent anticipated. Their relationship threatens to unravel the careful suburban order they've built around their families. Perrotta examines how ordinary people make choices that transform their lives in ways they never expected.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Suburb
Period: Summer
355 pages · Paperback · St. Martin's Griffin
Content warnings: sexual-content