Skip to main content

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper


"What you think will be a comedy of errors turns out to be a dark, depressing novel that focuses in on the petty, cruel relationships between Judd and his siblings and his celebrity mother. I read it quickly simply to get it over with.."

1 Star. 

Pros: I liked how the ending was kind of open for interpretation but that was really about it. 

Cons: The characters were just crass and cruel to each other. I thought this was going to be a comedy but instead I just ended up feeling kind of depressed. 

Full Review: 

Judd has recently discovered that his wife is cheating on him with his boss. He's renting a basement apartment, has no job and is depressed and to make matters worse, he gets a call from his sister. His father has died and the man's last wish was that his family sit Shiva (Jewish tradition of mourning) for seven days. Judd and his siblings don't exactly see eye to eye. They all have different lives and clashing personalities, so the idea of spending a week with his family just adds fuel to the fire that is already smoldering in Judd's gut. But he goes, to honor his Father. 

What I thought was going to be a comedy turned out instead to be a novel full of resentments, childish, petty behavior and crass, cruel relationships. Everyone seemed to glean joy out of making everyone else miserable and everyone's infidelities' were just...kind of sickening. Call me old fashioned, but...it just didn't sit right that it seemed like everyone else was sleeping with everyone else...it was just weird. 

I read this novel quickly, simply to get it over with. There wasn't a single, redeeming character and even Judd, who you feel remotely bad for, is just as obnoxious and petty as his siblings. I'm glad I loaned this from the library cause if I had spent money on it, I'd be livid. This book was just obnoxious. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

"Obviously targeted to writers but honestly, anyone could benefit from Bradbury's practical yet poetic advice, this was a collection of esasys by Bradbury about his writing process and reflections on some of his greatest works."   ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Bradbury, duh, though I'm biased, to me, the man's prose is pure poetry, every word beautiful/Since writing is not my career, it was an interesting way to view Bradbury's life. Writing was his job and he was the only income. If he did not produce material, he would not get paid. It help put things into perspective.  Cons: The man can go on for a bit 😂/Bradbury's insane work ethic and endless endurance to just produce story after story seems insane and overwhelming but then again, this was his livelihood, so I'm sure it was insane and overwhelming. If he didn't write and get paid, they'd starve, so, it was a life or death situation. Full Review:  This was essentially a collection of essays written by Bra...

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

​“The tale of Andy Dufresne and how he served his time at Shawshank prison, as told through the eyes of his friend and fellow inmate, Red. Dark and disturbing but also compulsively readbale. I finished it in 2 days. Also enjoyable is Frank Darabont's 1994 film adaptation, "The Shawshank Redemption." ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros : Red has a soothing, drawl, making the reading easy and flowing/Since I saw the film first, I couldn't help but compare the book though I was pleased to find that the two were very similar.  Cons : Things got a bit rambling a bit at the beginning/Since I saw the film first I couldn't help but compare the book but this ended up not being a con.  Full Review: The state of Maine has a prison. Shawshank Redemption. And Red is the guy that can get you things. He also happens to be the only guilty man in Shawshank but that's netiher here nor there. He meets Andy Dufresne for business purposes at first and he finds him to be a calm, cool man and Red likes him i...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end."    ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific.  Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd.  Full Review:  Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...