T is for Tropper, Jonathan

With every letter I complete, I see this journey nearing it's end. As I write this review, I've already started reading my "U" book and have checked the shelves for availability of the remaining letters. I may be forced to bend the rules when it comes to the letter "X" because there just aren't many fiction authors with a last name starting with "X." I will worry about that when I get there, but for now, let's talk about "T" is for Tropper, Jonathan.

I remember pulling this book from the stacks because of the multi-colored lettering on the spine. It is the little things that draw me to what I end up reading. I read the inside cover and was interested. Still, I continued looking around. I came back several times to Tropper's novel and decided to check it out. For my "T" book, I read This Is Where I Leave You.

The story revolves around the Foxman family, who have gathered for the funeral of their husband and father and to sit shiva for him. Shiva is a seven-day long time of mourning for a family of the Jewish faith. The family gathers in the home of the deceased and receives visitors. It is supposed to be a solemn time of remembrance and mourning where mirrors are covered and the family sits on low shiva chairs. When the Foxman children heard from their mother that their father's dying request was that they sit shiva for him, they were beyond surprised. Their father had not been a religious man and had only taken them to Temple once or twice a year. Still, they came together to remember their father.

Our narrator is Judd Foxman who is dealing not only with the death of his father, but also the end of his marriage. Just weeks before his father died, Judd had walked in on his wife Jen in bed with his boss, a Howard Stern-like radio host who was despised by most women. As Judd explained, "Not mine, unfortunately." Along with Judd we have his mother, a retired psychiatrist who wears clothing which makes Judd and his siblings uncomfortable and brings out the local widowers by the droves. Also sitting shiva are Judd's only sister Wendy and her obnoxious husband, older brother Paul who has taken over the family business, and younger brother Phillip who arrives with his much older "fiancee." The relationships among the siblings are strained and often awkward. Being in the same house for seven days of mourning would likely test the closest family, but it really strains a dysfunctional family like the Foxmans.

There is a great deal of humor in the book. Much of it is quite dark, as could be expected in the setting. The Foxman children are destined to make discoveries about themselves as they remember their father and look more closely at their own lives. While there is quite a bit of gratuitous sex and language, Tropper makes light of many of the situations.

One big twist in the book comes when Judd's estranged wife shows up to give Judd the news that he is going to be a father. This bombshell comes as Judd is considering renewing a fling with a high school sweetheart. In the light of the loss of his own father, Judd considers what type father he will be to a child who will likely be raised by his wife and former boss. Part of this equation is answered in the last chapters of the book, but Tropper leaves it to the reader to decide exactly what happens to Judd and Jen.

This Is Where I Leave You is being turned into a movie for a 2011 release. As you read the novel, you can see it on a big screen. It is entertaining and relevant enough to translate well to film. I am looking forward to seeing the movie.

This Is Where I Leave You is not always an easy read. The reader is forced to see themselves in the shoes of the Foxman children. Those with siblings will likely see at least some similarities in their own familial relationships. If you are looking for a good read that will make you think, I would recommend This Is Where I Leave You.