Come for the Rapture, stay for the grief and inevitable misery of human existence. I really enjoyed The Leftovers and as long as you accept it as a book that will not give you answers to the phenomenon of masses of people suddenly disappearing, then you will love it too. Each character’s story is well developed and believable as they fail to adjust to personal losses and the inherent unfairness of their plight. Unlike the series, the book’s characters are not as sensational-generally they are affable, normal, and awkward people in unusual circumstances, and the supernatural aspect is limited to the day of the rapture. It is clear that there are no answers, and each person is struggling to get back on the functional road to making an authentic human connection, but afraid of the risks of that connection: sudden loss, misunderstanding, autonomy, futility. The Leftovers confronts the issue of how to live a fulfilling life filled with love and that matters without being paralyzed by the thorny big questions. Some of the lines deeply resonated with me even though the language is quite simple. “He knew for a fact that it was possible to fall and just keep falling, that people like him couldn’t afford a moment’s weakness, a single big mistake (204).” In the end, The Leftovers is optimistic and seems to suggest that humanity is up for any monumental challenge.