Critical Consensus for 8/18: Jonathan Tropper’s This Is Where I Leave You
This Is Where I Leave You
Jonathan Tropper, author of How to Talk to a Widow and Plan B, is back with This Is Where I Leave You, a novel the Los Angeles Times calls “often hilarious and often heartbreaking.” Judd Foxman’s father has died, leaving Judd thrust under the same roof as his siblings and mother to observe the Jewish rite of shivah. Grief is certainly present, but the entertaining dysfunction of the family takes center stage over the novel’s 7-day span. Instances of over-the-top chaos and film-friendly scenes are an issue for some critics, but even they allow that the book’s positives outweigh any flaws. For anyone who has ever thought their family was crazy (i.e., all of us), this is a must read.
“A novel that charms by allowing for messes, loose ends and the reality that there’s only one sure ending for everyone.” - Tod Goldberg, Los Angeles Times
“Maybe the Foxmans live down the street from the Bluths of TV’s Arrested Development? [...]Certainly they’re traceable on the same Google Map of Dysfunctionville. ” - Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
“This author’s strong suit is wisecracks, the more irreverent the better.” - Janet Maslin, New York Times
“A book that seems destined to find its full-throated version in a tenderhearted but deeply vulgar screwball comedy.” - Alan Cheuse, The Dallas Morning News
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