Customer Reviews

Everything Changes: A Novel

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
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This is the novel I've been waiting for Jonathan Tropper to write. I admired his previous novels -- PLAN B and the BOOK OF JOE, which certainly displayed his considerable talents. He sets up great premises for his characters to work through issues. He establishes a breezy pace, writes sharp, funny dialogue and spices it all with witty observations. But there were certain things about those earlier novels that drove me crazy. The narrators and other characters sometimes made cliched observations in the tone of thinking they had stated something original. The writing sometimes belabored the obvious -- making points well after the reader had already gotten it. And the character's cynicism didn't seem earned because it wasn't hard won. While I liked PLAN B nonetheless, I couldn't help but cringe everytime one of the characters whined about how difficult it was to -- YIKES!! - turn 30. I didn't have any of those frustrations reading EVERYTHING CHANGES. In fact, I felt glee on almost every page, while witnessing such a beautifully wrought and masterfully told story. Here Mr. Troppers' prodigious talents are all on full display again. The dialogue is funny and sharp and the pacing is perfect. There are some Hollywood moments -- e.g. a couple of fistfights, but still the observations his narrator, Zack, makes about life and love are profound, insightful -- and original. It's a wonderful story about a man dealing with a no-account father and his torn feelings toward his beautiful fiancee and another woman -- the widow of his late best friend -- who has become the real love of his life. The ending pages, which I won't give away, moved me almost to the point of tears. This novel will enter my own personal pantheon of great books I keep re-reading at various stages of my life. (The HERE AND NOW by Robert Cohen; Tom Perrotta's THE WISHBONES, and Glenn Savan's WHITE PALACE to name a few). Anyone who enjoyed this and would like to read a similar story should consider Marshall Boswell's, ALTERNATIVE ATLANTA, another funny and moving tale of a man struggling over his awkward relationship with his father and battling with his feelings for a forbidden woman.

Like millions of other Americans, Zack King has the worst job in the world. The hero of Jonathan Tropper's sparkling new romantic comedy EVERYTHING CHANGES, Zack is a corporate middleman in the big city, a cubicle prisoner, a man upon whom everyone can assess blame. And, like millions of Americans in call centers, financial giants, supply chain corporations, and "Office Space" cube farms, Zack hates his job.

He explains: "...we spend our days making three kinds of phone calls. We call our vendors to hound them about schedules and late deliveries; we call our clients to reassure them that everything is on schedule or to get blamed because it isn't; we call potential clients and kiss the asses of the people who will one day blame us for everything." And if that isn't enough drudgery to occupy a workday in hell, there is Zack's everyman, middleman boss. "The trick with Bill is to say as little as possible. He is notorious for his long-winded lectures on salesmanship, and you never know when a simple pleasantry might trigger a mini Dale Carnegie seminar. ... he believes that there is no problem that can't be solved with a ten-minute PowerPoint presentation."

But the job is the least of Zack's problems. He's falling in love with his late friend's wife, Tamara, and out of love with his own fiancé, Hope; his struggling rock star brother is beginning a downward spiral; his roommate, Jed, the dot.com millionaire, has decided to drop out of life and just watch television; and Zack's estranged father is loose on the streets of New York with a fistful of Viagra. And there may be an even bigger problem. Enter the mysterious stranger: a Nike swoosh-shaped shadow on one of Zack's kidneys that just might be cancer.

Tropper, who wowed readers with THE BOOK OF JOE, treads hysterically familiar territory in EVERYTHING CHANGES with his theme of the neurotic, successful thirty-something leaving the city to return home to try to settle his problems. The author's musical narrative is vastly improved from his previously respectable efforts, his fresh, authoritative voice smoothly and seamlessly taking Zack on his wild journey. It is Tropper's vivid descriptions of office life, in-love-with-the-other-woman imagery, the looming loss of a good friend, Zack's Woody Allen internal dialogue, and his flamboyant vignettes that never fail to delight, keeping EVERYTHING CHANGES at a rapid-fire pace.

Zack, his engagement, his brother, friend, father, and mother, are all at stagnant points in their lives, points that only have the illusion of moving forward. It takes Norm King, the father everyone has learned not to tolerate, to skip into town with his trail of affairs and debts not far behind, to motivate those in Zack's world to face the truth, get up off the couch, evolve, and --- most importantly --- to forgive.

Tropper's latest effort is quite simply wonderful, wacky and big-hearted, Elton John wig and all.

--- Reviewed by Brandon M. Stickney

From the first time I picked up a Jonathan Tropper book, I was hooked on this writer. I fell in love with his writing style which is eloquent, humorous, even edgy at times. I love it! I bought the "Book of Joe" when I ran out of books to read. Honestly, I grabbed it because that's my husbands name and I was in a huge hurry. I read a brief review and thought I'd give it a try. I couldn't wait for "Everything Changes" to come out! Again, I was not disappointed. I love Tropper's stylist approach to writing and his sense of humor. Although at times his stories have a few moments that are somewhat "over the top", I think many of us can relate to a lot of the more real moments in his books. Keep writing, but please, don't let fame and fortune ruin your style or send you into "mass production mode" that makes so many writers become less creative and more repetative.

Everything changes is the third novel by Jonathan Tropper and although it is a worthwhile read it is not in the same high league as his masterpieces Plan B and The Book of Joe. Zachary King in this book is a similar character to Ben in Plan B and Joe from the Book of Joe. Everything Changes is also written in the same narrative, talking to the reader style as those novels.

What it lacks though is a clear plot. You knew what was going on in the other novels ie Ben and the others trying to force their celebrity friend off drugs in Plan B and Joe returning to a town he had slammed in his novel to visit his dying father in The Book of Joe. Everything Changes is just a fly on the wall view into a few weeks of a Zachary King's life and his mid life crisis, fear of bladder cancer and reunion with his father Norm who walked out on his life years before. The book is also rather predictable, you know what Zach is going to choose to do after a few chapters.

It is however entertaining and Zach's medical experiences are something every guy hopes to never go through. A good read but read the sensational novels Plan B and The Book of Joe first.

I was initially turned off by a crude description early in the book, but then I found myself increasingly drawn into the story and characters. The protagonist works as a middleman for a supply consultancy, arranging for Nike supplies to be shipped from China to the US, and deals with vendors' complaints and worries. He's engaged to a fiancee who's perfect on paper, but he finds his late buddy's widow more compelling...and the bond between them is growing. When he gets a cancer scare, he's forced to reassess his work and love life.

This was a very interesting read, well-written with believable characters and funny moments. The cancer scare doesn't drag the story down, but instead calls the main character to action. There's a good blend of introspection and storytelling. I liked this much more than "The Book of Joe."

(I'd give this 3 and a half stars, if that were an option.) Jonathan Tropper faces the difficult challenge of following in the footsteps of his funny and poignant "Book of Joe." Tropper's natural sense of humor is present in "Everything Changes" and there are some truly hilarious scenes involving Zach's father. A couple places where the novel falls short: The character of Hope is poorly developed, little more than an outline of a person. It's possible this is meant to parallel Zach's feelings about her, but that seems like a lazy way out for a writer as talented as Tropper (he does a fantastic job of creating Tamara). The ending also feels thrown on, a last minute attempt to create a satisfying resolution. Not rushing the publication of Everything Changes (maybe to coincide with the paperback run of Book of Joe?) might have allowed Tropper to work out some of these issues. But even still, Tropper is a writer worth reading, often engaging and always funny.

This is the third novel published by Jonathan Tropper, and while it's not as good as his second ("The Book of Joe"), there is a great deal to like here. The protagonist, Zack, is a character many men can relate to--someone who wants the things in life society tells us we should want. But when his life is threatened with a cancer scare, he realizes that what he truly values is quite different from what he thought he should value. What I like most about Zack is that he has a lot of frustration and anger towared his AWOL father who suddenly shows up in his life looking for forgiveness yet beneath that exterior lies a great capacity for love, compassion, and a desire to heal the emotional wounds that ultimately will remain open. The emotional insights are balanced well with comedic moments--especially when Zack suddenly loses his appetite for breakfast when his father wanders into the kitchen (...). Overall, this is a good read. I highly recommend it. And I highly recommend Tropper's other two novels. A sublime way to pass a few lazy afternoons.

I met Jonathan Tropper at a literary presentation in April, 2011 at Eastern Michigan University. He is a droll man with a singular, but not overpowering, wit. I was duly impressed.

I have liked all of his books. I loved "There is Where I Leave You" and I almost love "Everything Changes." His total talent was apparent in "This is Where....." which, I understand, is in the works for a movie. Tropper writes for both men and women, which makes him extraordinary in plot and character development.

In this book, Zach King, a 32 year old, is engaged to a beautiful, rich woman. He has a middle management job as a middleman in a medium-large corporation. But Zach is anything but middle-of-the-road. In addition to his general angst about marriage and his job, he is in the throes of life-changing consequences. He is the eldest of three boys, his father, Norm, cheated on his mother, Lela and then he abandoned his family. Norm makes an appearance in Zach's life as he is undergoing significant changes. Norm is more than a character. He is a 100% neglectful father, who believes that he may have a chance to ingratiate himself with his three sons by delivering his philosophy and acting super pushy on behalf of his sons' perils. This doesn't really work but it makes an impression.

Norm's entrance coincides with Zach's conflicts about his upcoming marriage and a frightening health scare. I don't know how Tropper can make a bladder biopsy humorous but he does and tops it off with a hilarious chase at the doctor's country club for biopsy results.

The strongest part of this novel is friendship. Tropper makes friendship shine upon Zach. His group of friends, whether dead or alive, is loyal. Of course, there is a love entanglement but more that, there are brilliant scenes of Zach's capability to give unconditional love to children. He can absorb their fears and impart security in the most frightful situations. Tropper can convey love and fear in comedic and tragic circumstances.

This book is incredible. From page 1, I was hooked. The characters are so real and vivid. They evoke every emotion possible - I laughed, I cried, I turned every page not wanting to get to the end. Jonathan Tropper is a significant talent in the world of modern literature. I cannot wait for his next novel. Read all 3 of his novels - you will not be disappointed.

Jonathan Tropper has written a book that will captivate a reader. From the very first page of this book I was hooked. I couldn't put it down. Tropper writes about common things that people experience in life, but he writes about them in an almost surreal way. The interactions between characters and the deep family ties are what makes this an awesome book. A hard read to put down...beware you may read the whole book in one sitting.