20. Little Children by Tom Perrotta

I finished book number 20 last night (a third of the way to my goal of 60 books this year!). This was my first experience with Tom Perrotta, but I have heard of him before. He wrote the book Election, which was turned into the movie starring Reese Witherspoon (I haven't seen it). The reviews for this book said it was very funny.

The story centers around two stay-at-home parents: Sarah, mother to 3-year old Lucy, and Todd, father to 3-year old Aaron. Sarah is young, very educated, but bored (and feels wasted) staying at home with Lucy. She is a strong feminist and never saw herself in the wife/mother role. Todd is a law school graduate who can't seem to pass the bar, and instead stays home with Aaron while his gorgeous wife makes documentary films. These are only the two most central characters; there are at least three other very strong characters that make their mark on the story (including a fresh-out-of-jail pedophile whose very presence sends the neighborhood into uproar). Sarah and Todd end up in an affair, both trying to recapture their youth before having children, looking for something they aren't finding in their "stay-at-home" lives. They, more so than Aaron and Lucy, are the little children referenced in the title.

I like the book because it ends well. I'll leave it at that to keep the storyline under wraps. I hated that it took an affair for certain lessons to be learned, but in the end, it works. Very good.

Next up, another Jodi Picoult novel, The Pact.