by Tom Perrotta
First published 2011
Kevin Garvey becomes mayor of Mapleton after a mysterious event called the Sudden Departure makes countless people disappear without explanation. His own family crumbles in the aftermath. His wife Laurie abandons him to join the Guilty Remnant, a silent cult. His son Tom drops out of college to follow a dubious prophet called Holy Wayne. Only his teenage daughter Jill stays home, but she transforms from an excellent student into someone Kevin barely recognizes. Kevin wants to repair his broken community and help his remaining family members heal. He also grows closer to Nora Durst, who lost her husband and children on October 14th. Nora struggles between grief and her desire to start over. Kevin must navigate his role as a leader while his personal world falls apart. The vanishing changed everything in Mapleton. Marriages fail, friendships end, and parents cannot reach their children. Kevin fights to restore hope and purpose to people who lost neighbors, friends, and loved ones in an instant.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Mapleton
Period: October 14th, Sudden Departure
355 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: mental-illness