Bad Haircut
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- ¥470
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- ¥470
発行者による作品情報
The literary debut from the author of ‘Little Children’, ‘Election’ and ‘The Abstinence Teacher’.
Tom Perrotta's first novel takes readers to semi-fictional 'Cranwood', in small-town New Jersey. Set between fall 1969 and the summer of 1980, ‘Bad Haircut’ consists of ten tales; reflecting a coming-of-age in the 'kitsch' era of platforms and disco.
The novel charts the struggles of a boy called Buddy with the timeless mysteries of sex, death, parents – and, of course, bad haircuts – as he grows from Cub Scout to college kid. A touching collection of tales, ‘Bad Haircut’ is Perrotta's perfect observation of the tribulations and tenderness of adolescence.
Reviews
‘More powerful than any coming-of-age novel I’ve read recently…These stories of the 70s deserve to be read by everyone who grew up in that blighted decade.’ Washington Post
‘A strong, funny debut.’ Washington Times
‘Perrotta’s novels are sheer pleasure.’ San Francisco Chronicle
‘Darkly tender, simply written tales about growing up in the Garden State in the 1970s.’ New York Times
‘Funny and ingenious…It’s tempting to call “Bad Haircut” an “auspicious” book, but that doesn’t say enough; in fact Perrotta has already delivered the goods.’ Los Angeles Times
‘His stories remind me…in their wit and humanity and cumulative impact, of Philip Roth’s “Goodbye Colombus”. Like that book, Perrotta’s funny and deeply touching collection marks the arrival of a writer who’s here for the long haul.’ Tobias Wolff
About the author
Tom Perrotta is the author of several works of fiction, including ‘Little Children’, ‘Joe College’ and ‘Election’. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Amid the current glut of '70s nostalgia, Perrotta has fashioned a moving cycle of stories that looks past the era's celebrated kitsch to still relevant social and cultural issues and the timeless mysteries of growing up. In 10 tales covering a period from the fall of 1969 to the summer of 1980, he follows the revelations of his narrator, Buddy, from his days as an eight-year-old Cub Scout through his return home from the first year of college. Set in the small New Jersey town of Darwin, these seamless, understated narratives find--in boyhood activities as ordinary as playing sports, riding a bike, taking driver's ed or going to the prom--insights into loneliness, societal violence, sexual identity, racism, mortality and much more. Perrotta eschews sentimentality and overt philosophizing, crafting in Buddy's voice a sensitivity to pregnant moments that remain unexplained and a knack for delicate, unobtrusive metaphor. Forgoing the easy irony of disco and vintage TV, he delivers a convincing portrait of a time of life, illuminating all the profound cruelty and tenderness of adolescence.
