A riotously funny, emotionally raw New York Times bestselling novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind—whether we like it or not. The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks the first time that the entire Foxman clan has congregated in years. There is, however, one conspicuous absence: Judd’s wife, Jen, whose affair with his radio- shock-jock boss has recently become … has recently become painfully public. Simultaneously mourning the demise of his father and his marriage, Judd joins his dysfunctional family as they reluctantly sit shiva and spend seven days and nights under the same roof. The week quickly spins out of control as longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed and old passions are reawakened. Then Jen delivers the clincher: she’s pregnant…
“Often sidesplitting, mostly heartbreaking…[Tropper is] a more sincere, insightful version of Nick Hornby, that other master of male psyche.”—USA Today
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I love a good family drama, and This Is Where I Leave You did not disappoint. It follows the Foxman family for one week as they sit shiva for their father. Through the eyes of the middle son, Judd, we learn about each family member’s messy life — from the sister’s workaholic husband to the youngest brother’s relationship with an older woman. As the week unfolds, the dysfunction escalates.
It’s quick, funny, touching, and filled with a great cast of characters. At times the outlandishness borders on the unbelievable, but I still found the story to be highly entertaining.
The entire book takes place over a period of 7 days when a family of 4 grown children are sitting shiva with their over-the-top mother for their deceased father. The book is hilarious at times, and down-right depressing at times. Often I felt like I was watching… aka reading a Woody Allen film. There was a bit too much self-absorption and neurosis on behalf of the protagonist. But all in all, a good and funny read.
Judd’s life is unraveling at the seams. His wife is sleeping with his boss, his father passes away, and he learns that he must sit shiva with his mother, 2 brothers, and sister. His mother is a famous author who wrote a book 25 years prior on parenting, which basically documented every awkward moment in her growing children’s lives. Judd’s sister, Wendy is busy with three children. Paul, the older brother, runs the family store largely due to an incident that happened years prior. Finally, Philip is the baby. He is involved with his former therapist and has women practically falling at his feet. Bonding doesn’t seem like a high priority for the family and shiva is not something they are looking forward too.
Of course, the story is so much more complicated than that brief summary. Each character has a life filled with secrets, problems, and unfulfilled wishes. Tropper is, in my opinion, fantastic at writing about the human condition. He seems to effortlessly draw the reader into the character’s world so that you feel empathy when they are hurting and joy when things are going good. The story is fresh, definitely has some dark moments, and can definitely engage a reader.
I found myself laughing out loud at times and near tears at others. In my opinion, Tropper has a very definitive writing style. If you have read other books by him in the past and have liked them, I feel confident you will like this one too. If you haven’t read anything by him, give him a try. Oh and in case you are wondering, I definitely think the book outshines the movie (not that it was bad). The book is so much more detailed and some of the backstories that are omitted in the movie seemed too important to me to be overlooked.
This story takes place basically in 7 days – 7 days of a family sitting “shiva” after the death of a father of 4 and a his widow. I found this book extremely funny to the point where I was laughing out loud. Totally unpredictable writing done entirely in “first person”, the story was easy to follow and characters were well developed. I did see the movie and loved the book even more.
Don Halasz
Well, this book was an adventure! While it was funny, it was sad at the same time. The author did a great job of capturing the realities of the real world. Life is a drama for everyone. You can’t help but to feel bad for almost every character. They all possessed blaring faults, and at the same time your heart went out to them. The author does a great job building the characters
Well-thought out…couldn’t have done any better
Entertaining and enjoyable for fast fun reading. Laughed a few times. Some interesting life lessons.
Great funny, easy read! I will be reading more from this author.
One of the best books I’ve ever read.
This is the 1st Jonathan Tropper book I read & loved it so much I immediately read all Of Jonathan Troppers other books— I frequently check to see if he’s written anything new! I would not have expected to so thoroughly enjoy the angst of a 30 some male going through traumas, dramas & experiencing personal growth, but these books are written with such humor & quirky characters, they are a joy to read!
One of those laughing out loud books. In the same spirit as Nick Hornby, Jonathan Franzen or Gary Shteyngart. The novel is a smart, funny and sharp critique at contemporary life and the dysfunctional lives we lead.
It was entertaining.
He put the fun in dysFUNctional.
Some of the book I really enjoyed, but there is a lot of language.
Irreverent but hilarious. Laughed out loud.
Bought this book but only read a few pages and put it down.
I looked forward to reading what was touted as a funny book. The beginning was not what I expected at all. It was laced with sex, profanity, and hostility among the players. I might have endured that if there was any humor to be found, but, alas, there wasn’t. Not my cup of tea.
Not my type of reading; did not finish it as it felt too contrived. In fact I deleted the novel from my Kindle.
Couldn’t get past page 10. Smart alecky conversations between siblings or spouses have no appeal for me.
not as good as book of Joe but still interesting