Election

It was easy for me to be swept up in the voices of Perrotta's characters telling what appears to be a low-intensity story of a high school election. Amid the comic circumstances are some uncomfortable realities about male objectification of women, molestation, abuse of power, blaming victims, the struggle for self-esteem, and the cultural acceptance of unacceptable crimes.

Superficially, "Election" could be viewed as just another thinly veiled tribute to Gen-X ephemera of broken families and suburban malaise. But such an appraisal would do this slim novella an injustice. Incorporating themes from the post-92, aka Clinton era, landscape, Election is an exacting satire that takes bold jabs at the American dream and those inherently damnable American dreamers.

Other reviews are of the opinion that the movie version of the novella is more fleshed out, especially in terms of character motivation, but I must disagree. Behind Perrotta's sharp diction, biting humor and terse observations emerges a certain poetry of nuance, where our character's discarded desires, naked ambitions, and unverbalized desperation lie. show more This is especially important in regards to our anti-heroine Tracy, who is both a product and victim of ambition, an ambition that can catapult you to nominal success and simultaneously leave you more isolated than ever.

Perrotta's character's certainly incorporate aspects of those running in the 1992 election, with Tracy's cloud of sexual scandal a direct allegory to Clinton's wanton ways. However, a truly original character emerges in the proverbial third party candidate, Tammy, whose exacting appraisal of her environs/nature of suburbia seems far beyond her years.

Such a slim volume can be read in under two hours time. So read it for its allegorical features that continue to resonate today or simply read it for it's laugh out loud moments. Either way, this is one book that begs to be read and reveled in. show less

Though a bit different from the film, this short novel was a lot of fun, though also deceptively dark. It deals with a student government election at a suburban New Jersey high school, and the lengths some will go to win. It's absurdist in some ways and doesn't spend a lot of time on character development or back story. It's very immediate and, despite being published in the 1990s, often feels very "of the moment." The audio is well done with multiple narrators.

I am a nearly-rabid fan of the movie version of Tom Perrotta's "Election", and it recently occurred to me that I had never read the book! Even though I'm also a big fan of Tom Perrotta's other books! Good Lord, what was I thinking? To Amazon, stat!

I'm almost certainly predisposed to give this book 5 stars given my intense love for the film, so take me with a grain of salt. But this nifty little story, with its staccato jumps from character to character as the voice of narration, as well as Perrotta's talent for creating voices the reader practically hears out loud, stands on its own two feet, apart from my movie-love.

In very different ways, the book is superior to the film, and vice versa. The book is quietly steeped in a compassion show more that, for me, I did not fully realize until I finished it. It was a bit like watching a flower planted in a very odd place bloom in front of you. As I began the book and noted some of the significant character differences from the movie I knew too well, I feared the book would inevitably be a let-down. I didn't think Perrotta would have the necessary space to make me warm to the substantial changes in his brief, original story. But he did.

I loved it in a very different way than the movie, and that is a very, very big compliment, coming from yours truly. show less

What can I say about Tom Perrotta ! I've just finished only my second book by him, the first was 'Little Children,' and I am already madly in love with his writing. 'Election' is the tale of a high school campaign for choosing the next school president, and not surprisingly, this particular campaign turned out to be the most interesting one the school ever had.

Perrotta's prose is crystal-clear, sparkling with his keen observation and irreverent wit. He casually tosses about brilliantly insightful comments regarding fundamental truths about human nature, like lesser authors spew superfluous adjectives and redundant adverbs. Perrotta's characters are cheating spouses, manipulative precocious high school students, lonely and insecure show more teenagers, and lecherous teachers; they are deeply flawed individuals, but they are also deeply human.

Told from several points-of-view, my only quibble about this novel is that Perrotta's story is so engaging that one tends to read faster than one ought to. I had to always slow myself down so as not to miss out on a remarkably insightful observation or comment that make all of Perrotta's books so very special. This was a delightful read. I am going to hunt down and read each and every book that Perrotta ever wrote. show less

This book was not available as an ebook for many years. I was so happy to see it arrive on Kindle recently and was able to read it. I have read most of Perrotta's other novels and have enjoyed them all. I saw Election (the movie) when it came out many years ago but this was my first time reading the novel it was based on.

So - it's amazing how fast society changes. There are more than a few things here that are problematic in a way that I really think would have just passed me by if I read it in the early 2000s. That being said. Perrotta's characters, his plots, his pacing are all stellar. It is so hard to put his books down. Even if the people are doing loathsome things - I always want to know more.

I started reading this book at 11 and finished it by six the same day. Amazing. It's hard for me to describe what I liked so much about it. Yeah, there are a the typical high school stereotypes, but they are treated in such a way that's refreshing and reminds me why I'm glad to be out of high school. I really want to read some more of Tom Perrottta's books since I enjoyed this one so much.