An Evening with New York Times Bestselling Author Tom Perrotta
Schedule
Tue, 05 May, 2026 at 07:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
City Opera House | Traverse City, MI
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From the New York Times bestselling author of "The Leftovers" and "Mrs. Fletcher," author Tom Perrotta is returning to the City Opera House stage to talk about "Ghost Town," a gripping story about a tumultuous summer in 1970s suburban New Jersey, reminiscent of Perrotta’s own hometown. This nostalgic story is told from the perspective of a middle-aged writer looking back on a series of events that changed his life—and the story he finally has the courage to tell.Jimmy Perrini lives just a few miles from Manhattan, but a world apart. At the end of eighth grade, tragedy strikes and Jimmy finds himself lost in a fog of grief that alienates him from friends and family, drifting instead into troubling friendships with two older teenagers: one a notorious local burnout with a fast car, an endless supply of W**d, and a shaky grasp of reality; the other a smart, eccentric girl, whom Jimmy finds himself drawn to as they become entranced by her Ouija board, which may just offer the only salve to their grief.
As a fateful public drama unfolds, Jimmy is torn between the occult beyond and the cold realities of the place he has called home. Narrated by a much older Jimmy, a literary-turned-commercial novelist, "Ghost Town" reveals how the past haunts the present—the way our ghosts are always with us, even when we think we’ve left them behind.
Tom Perrotta is the bestselling author of eleven novels, including "Election" and "Little Children", both of which were made into Oscar-nominated films, and "The Leftovers," which was adapted into a critically acclaimed, Peabody Award-winning HBO series. His other books include "Bad Haircut," "The Wishbones," "Joe College," "The Abstinence Teacher," "Nine Inches," "Mrs. Fletcher," and "Tracy Flick Can’t Win." He lives outside of Boston.
Event Details
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with live music, and the event begins at 7:00 p.m. The winners of the college scholarship contest will be awarded at the top of the show. There will also be a Q&A session and an author signing immediately following in the lobby.
Season Sponsors: Green Brick Foundation, North Guard Technology Group, Golden Fowler Home Furnishings
Livestreaming Underwriter: Nancy Davy
Entertainment Sponsor: Higgins Hearing and Audiology
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Where is it happening?
City Opera House, 108 E Front St, Traverse City, MI 49684-2509, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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