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This Is Where I Leave You [Hardcover]

Jonathan Tropper
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (408 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 6, 2009

The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks the first time that the entire Foxman family—including Judd’s mother, brothers, and sister—have been together in years. Conspicuously absent: Judd’s wife, Jen, whose fourteen-month affair with Judd’s radio-shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public.

Simultaneously mourning the death of his father and the demise of his marriage, Judd joins the rest of the Foxmans as they reluctantly submit to their patriarch’s dying request: to spend the seven days following the funeral together. In the same house. Like a family.

As the week quickly spins out of control, longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed, and old passions reawakened. For Judd, it’s a weeklong attempt to make sense of the mess his life has become while trying in vain not to get sucked into the regressive battles of his madly dysfunctional family. All of which would be hard enough without the bomb Jen dropped the day Judd’s father died: She’s pregnant.

This Is Where I Leave You is Jonathan Tropper's most accomplished work to date, a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind—whether we like it or not.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best of the Month, August 2009: Jonathan Tropper writes compulsively readable, laugh-out-loud funny novels, and his fifth book, This Is Where I Leave You is his best yet. Judd Foxman is oscillating between a sea of self-pity and a "snake pit of fury and resentment" in the aftermath of the explosion of his marriage, which ended "the way these things do: with paramedics and cheesecake." Foxman is jobless (after finding his wife in bed with his boss) and renting out the basement of a "crappy house" when he is called home to sit shiva for his father--who, incidentally, was an atheist. This of course means seven days in his parent's house with his exquisitely dysfunctional family, including his mom, a sexy, "I've-still-got-it" shrink fond of making horrifying TMI statements; his older sister, Wendy, and her distracted hubby and three kids; his snarky older brother, Paul, and his wife; and his youngest brother, Phillip, the "Paul McCartney of our family: better-looking than the rest of us, always facing a different direction in pictures, and occasionally rumored to be dead." Tropper is wickedly funny, a master of the cutting one-liner that makes you both cringe and crack up. But what elevates his novels and makes him a truly splendid writer is his ability to create fantastically flawed, real characters who stay with you long after the book is over. Simultaneously hilarious and hopeful, This Is Where I Leave You is as much about a family's reckoning as it is about one man's attempt to get it together. The affectionate, warts-and-all portrayal of the Foxmans will have fans wishing for a sequel (and clamoring for all things Tropper). --Daphne Durham

From Publishers Weekly

Tropper returns with a snappy and heartfelt family drama/belated coming-of-age story. Judd Foxman's wife, Jen, has left him for his boss, a Howard Stern–like radio personality, but it is the death of his father and the week of sitting shivah with his enjoyably dysfunctional family that motivates him. Jen's announcement of her pregnancy—doubly tragic because of a previous miscarriage—is followed by the dramas of Judd's siblings: his sister, Wendy, is stuck in an emotionless marriage; brother Paul—always Judd's defender—and his wife struggle with infertility; and the charming youngest, Phillip, attempts a grown-up relationship that only highlights his rakishness. Presided over by their mother, a celebrated parenting expert despite her children's difficulties, the mourning period brings each of the family members to unexpected epiphanies about their own lives and each other. The family's interactions are sharp, raw and often laugh-out-loud funny, and Judd's narration is unflinching, occasionally lewd and very keen. Tropper strikes an excellent balance between the family history and its present-day fallout, proving his ability to create touchingly human characters and a deliciously page-turning story. (Aug.)
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Dutton Adult; First Edition edition (August 6, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 052595127X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0525951278
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (408 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan Tropper is the author of How to Talk to a Widower, Everything Changes, The Book of Joe, and Plan B. He lives with his family in Westchester, New York, where he teaches writing at Manhattanville College.

Customer Reviews

I laughed out loud through out the book. retired teacher  |  86 reviewers made a similar statement
The book was sad, funny and a very good story. Jane  |  36 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
194 of 203 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Touching, Funny, Sad--a SIX star book! June 28, 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
This is Where I Leave You is a wonderful book will make you laugh out loud and bring tears to your eyes--truly an incandescent story about love of all kinds and forgiveness.

Judd Foxman is separated and heading towards divorce, unemployed, and living in a basement apartment, all of which are directly related to the affair his wife Jen is having with Wade, Judd's boss. Then Judd's father dies of cancer, leaving a final request that his entire family sit seven days of Shiva, and Judd and his siblings return to the suburban home where they grew up.

During the seven days of mourning, a variety of family dynamics play out. The relationship between Judd and his brother Paul is dominated by old resentment, and awkwardness with the fact that Paul's wife is one of Judd's past high-school girlfriends. Judd's sister Wendy takes the opportunity of being home to reconnect with her past love, while Phillip, the baby of the family and chronic screw-up, brings home his much older fiancé. Judd's mother Hillary is a psychiatrist who wrote a bestselling book about parenting, and her infamous directness adds more tension and humor.

While grieving for his father, Judd is also immersed in feelings of anger, betrayal, and helplessness brought on by the affair between Jen, his wife, and Wade, his boss. Once Jen tells Judd she is pregnant, Judd refuses to speak with her, leading both Jen and Wade to show up at Judd's childhood home, adding more complications and stress.

It would spoil too much of the story to tell more about any of the funny parts, but there are many throughout the book. Simultaneously, the book is bittersweet as the family mourns the Dad they loved and take small steps to mending their own relationships. This is Where I Leave You is exceptionally well written with great character development and emotion, and is a book that deserves to be read by everyone.
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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This Is Where You Got Me July 9, 2009
By Walrus
Format:Hardcover
My wife handed me this book saying it was a *must read*. I started it immediately and found I could not put it down. "This is Where I Leave You" has to be the most intense, funny, true to life piece of literature I have read in years. It is not only funny, but "laugh out loud" funny. In this novel, Tropper's writing style is sharp, biting, smart, sentimental, funny, and tender. He envisions the world the way most of us do, and expresses life with incredible wit and honesty.

The story begins with the death of Mort Foxman. His death has reunited the Foxman clan for a week of sitting shiva. In the course of battling their own demons, and one another, each family member is called to reflect upon life events that have formed the basis of their lives together and their subsequent identities as individuals. The results are hilarious. I've heard that this book has already been optioned for a movie. With the right casting this story should prove to be an exceptional cinematic experience.
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74 of 81 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, Yes...But Breakout? No. July 6, 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
Tropper mines old themes with his new book, This is Where I Leave You. Love relationship with college soul mate? Check. Father whose love is silent and unspoken and strong? Check. Sex with old high school fantasy? Check. Issue with athletic brother and other sibling rivalries? Check. I could go on.

I've been a fan since Plan B. Tropper writes with warmth and insight and great, great humor. Some scenes are hysterically funny. This is Where I Leave You is par for the course. As long as he keeps writing lines like, "Penny's honesty has always been like nudity in an action movie: gratuitous but no less welcome for it" and shows an old friend who has become a rabbi warming up the congregation like he's in a rock venue ("What's up, everyone?" he says. "Good shabbos, Elmsbrook!"), he'll always have a follower in me.

In this variant on a theme, the protagonist, Judd, is sitting shiva for his father with his neurotic, somewhat bizarre family: his strong-willed therapist mother, his older, once star athlete brother, his sexually adventurous sister, and the baby of the family who is the classically spoiled screwup.

Judd has other problems--he's jobless and more-or-less homeless, as his wife has cheated on him with his prior boss.

How Tropper makes his story funny and hopeful is a sight to see. One change in this book is the thick haze of sexual obsession that permeates it. Is that what "breakout novel" means now? If so, you could do worse than read This is Where I Leave You. Three and a half stars...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars this book was interesting
It made me laugh out loud. It was very interesting to read. I think I will read it again to see if I missed things.
Published 5 hours ago by Shondra Galloway
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific writing!
While never exposed to shiva before. This was a highly entertaining and funny story about a family. Laughed out loud and had difficulty putting it down. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Dana
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Enjoyed it. Not a "couldn't put it down," but glad I read it and continued to think about it after reading it.
Published 5 days ago by Jcoop1218
5.0 out of 5 stars Leave You!
Just started book, but should be good, recommended by my niece who can relate to the story as read so far
Published 7 days ago by vickie Kendle
5.0 out of 5 stars I did not want to put this book down, it is that good.
The descriptions in this book are very matter of fact, so true to life and hilarious at times that I actually laughed out loud. Read more
Published 13 days ago by Helen C Garcia
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Great pace of funny and yet poignant anecdotes about a family sitting Shiva for their father. Wish there was part two because I really wanted to know what happens with Judd and... Read more
Published 14 days ago by Kimberly Haynes
5.0 out of 5 stars Good, quick read
This was a very good read dealing with the complexities of family (always interesting) told from a man's point of view. Read more
Published 20 days ago by John Obrien
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Read
While not a masterpiece, I really enjoyed the time spent with these characters! I will probably read more from this author.
Published 25 days ago by J. Weiner
5.0 out of 5 stars Got me through labor w/ my daughter!
This book will always hold a special place in my heart because I was reading it while I was in labor with my daughter. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Sarah's Book Shelves
4.0 out of 5 stars Dysfunction at its finest!
I really enjoyed this dark comedy. For some reason dysfunctional families always entertain me. I thought this was a very humorous and often times (but not always) realistic window... Read more
Published 28 days ago by californiareader
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This Is Where I Leave You themes?
Dysfunctional families, forgiveness for past wrongs, divorce, etc. But don't overlook this book just because those themes sounds cliched or boring, thats what i initially thought too, but the book turned out to be so much more! Funny, warm, and just plain great. It's a book i would read more than... Read more
May 22, 2011 by C. S. SHI |  See all 2 posts
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