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Comments (0)So many novels about dysfunctional families are depressing and often beg the question, “Do I know someone like this?”
Not so is Jonathan Tropper’s latest novel, “This is Where I Leave You.” What makes this novel special is that this family’s “dysfunction” is treated in a “normal” way, with the foibles of family life insightful, hilarious and completely believable.
The novel begins with the death of Judd Foxman’s father, Mort. Judd, the novel’s narrator, learns that, as a dying request, his father, an atheist, has asked that the Foxman family sit shiva for seven days.
Judd, along with his two brothers and sister and their respective spouses and children, arrive at the suburban home for the funeral and seven days of grieving. There is Wendy, married to a man whose main interest is making money; Paul and his wife, Alice, struggling with infertility; and Phillip, young brother and perpetual screw-up.; and their mother, Hillary, a psychologist who ironically wrote a best-seller, “Cradle and All: A Mother’s Guide to Enlightened Parenting.”
To make matters worse, Judd has recently become separated from his wife, Jen, after he discovered that she was having an affair with his shock-jock radio boss.
The novel takes place over the course of seven days. Throughout the novel, Mr. Tropper makes witty observations about everything from formal shiva rituals to relationships.
In between the humor, there are some dead-on observations of life: “You have to look at what you have right in front of you, at what it could be, and stop measuring it against what you’ve lost. I know this to be wise and true, just as I know that pretty much no one can do it.”
The only disappointment is a surprise twist at the end, which I didn’t think was necessary to move the story along. Overall, however, this is a humorous read, one that offers insights on life that many readers will find parallel their own experiences.