Review of the Day: Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta

I will just say up front that I was disappointed with this book. I enjoyed Perrotta’s Mrs Fletcher — although I am deeply disappointed that the people at Warner Discovery pulled the miniseries from the Max streaming service before I had a chance to watch it — I enjoyed Perrotta’s story anthology Nine Inches, and the HBO series The Leftovers based on Perrotta’s novel was a discussion worthy show. But I kept waiting for a reason why this book needs to exist as I read and grew increasingly irritated as I failed to find one.

The story is narrated by Jimmy, a man in his fifties, remembering one summer in the 1970s when he was a young teenager in the suburbs of Northern New Jersey. The story is about the transition from childhood to becoming an adult. As the narrator says:

“When you’re thirteen, you don’t know what to think or who to believe. You’re just beginning to realize that adults aren’t as smart as you thought they were, and a lot of things that had been presented to you as facts your entire life are really just opinions or wishes or half-baked theories, like the idea that dead people go to heaven” (location 894).

The basic plot goes something like the following. Jimmy’s mother has recently died and, with the help of his friends — his father and sister are hardly ever at home — he discovers marijuana and the ouija board. 

Honestly, I found neither a compelling story nor much humor in this book.

At least in my opinion, it would be better to read one of Perrotta’s other books like The Leftovers, Mrs. Fletcher, or Election. Alternatively, one could find a copy of Stephen King’s collection Different Seasons and read “The Body” or watch the movie version called Stand By Me. That is a coming of age tale with a compelling plot and humor.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a free copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Scheduled for publication in the US 28 April 2026

epub. 288 pgs.  19 September 2025