transitionaljoint 's review for:

Election by Tom Perrotta

3.5

challenging emotional funny inspiring fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

The novel hates its characters far less than Alexander Payne’s film adaptation. For cynics this is probably a point in the movie’s favor, but I think Payne’s misanthropic take on the material does too much to obscure the central lesson that can be gleaned from this story: Our institutions aren’t kind to us, so we should be kind to each other. The novel is sharply written and well thought out enough that typing that doesn’t feel as trite as it normally would.