Starred review from February 14, 2022
The heroine of Perrotta’s Election returns in this sharp and perfectly executed story of frustrated ambition. Having failed to achieve her youthful career goals, Tracy Flick, now in her mid-40s, is an assistant principal at a New Jersey high school and single mother to 11-year-old Sophia. Though beaten down a little by life, Tracy still harbors ambition and remains determined to reach her goals, and she desperately wants to be voted her school’s next principal. To that end, she attaches herself to a tech millionaire’s dubious scheme to create a Hall of Fame for the school. The number one choice for its first inductee—though not without controversy—is former football hero Vito Falcone, who has also not lived up to the promise of his glory days. He is currently divorced, in AA, and possibly suffering from CTE. As the Hall of Fame selection committee’s debate over who should receive the honor highlights class and race schisms in the high school, an unexpected act of violence alters the course of several lives. As ever, Perrotta writes incisively from several different points of view, illuminating the frustrated inner lives of his characters; call it Winesburg, N.J. Dominating it all is Tracy, whom the reader comes to understand better even through her cringeworthy machinations. This is the rare sequel that lives up to the original.
September 1, 2022
In this follow-up to Perrotta's 1998 novel Election, Tracy Flick (Election's ambitious high schooler) is an assistant principal at a suburban New Jersey high school. She feels a renewed ambition for work when the principal unexpectedly announces his retirement. Tracy works hard to prove worthy of the promotion while trying to raise her daughter, maintain a relationship with her needy boyfriend, and practice meditation. Her first task is to head up the selection committee for the new high school hall of fame. The suggestion of the school's most famous quarterback makes her reflect on the past. And, well, Tracy Flick just can't win. The community members of Green Meadow, NJ, are voiced by a full cast, including Lucy Liu, Dennis Boutsikaris, Jeremy Bobb, and Ramona Young, along with four others. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character, adding many sides to the events of the book and making this a fun listen. VERDICT Part dark comedy, part social commentary, Perrotta's latest will be in demand by his fans.--Elyssa Everling
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.