The real-life challenges surrounding sex, power, and consent on college campuses are the inspiration for a new novel by author Tom Perrotta. Mrs. Fletcher tells the story of Eve, a divorced mom who suddenly finds herself an empty nester after dropping her son off at college.
Brendan is her son, and he gets to school with a certain attitude towards women and sex that he finds challenged when he gets there. Meanwhile, Eve is having, perhaps the opposite awakening. It’s a novel that is both uncomfortable and humorous.
Perrotta is known for books such as Election and The Leftovers, and much like his other works, Mrs. Fletcher is partly inspired by his experiences and partly an investigation of issues that pique his interest.
"I use my imagination to create the characters, but I draw on my own personal obsessions which in this case had a lot to do with my interest in college and sex and identity and gender and all the turmoil around that area of American life over the past few years," says Perrotta.
