"This is Where I Leave You" by Jonathan Tropper

This is Where I Leave You
by Jonathan Tropper
339 pages

Short Version: Judd Foxman is dealing with his marriage falling apart and his father passing away when he has to sit shiva with his dysfunctional family.

Why I Read It: A man next to me on a plane was reading this book and the colorful title caught my eye. I read a few lines while sitting next to him then wrote down the book. (This makes me sound like a big creep but I am just a little bit of a book stalker, that's all.)

The Book: From Goodreads
The death of Judd Foxman's father marks the first time that the entire Foxman clan has congregated in years. There is, however, one conspicuous absence: Judd's wife, Jen, whose affair with his radio- shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public. Simultaneously mourning the demise of his father and his marriage, Judd joins his dysfunctional family as they reluctantly sit shiva-and spend seven days and nights under the same roof. The week quickly spins out of control as longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed and old passions are reawakened. Then Jen delivers the clincher: she's pregnant.

My Thoughts: Warning: This book contains quite a bit of sexual content and inappropriate language and behavior.
From the few lines I read of the man on the plane's copy of this book I honestly thought it was going to be a sad one about a father passing away. I was definitely wrong about this. It was actually a very funny book. It is told from Judd Foxman's point of view. His father is the one who passes away and his wife is also cheating on him. Both of these situations are horribly depressing but Tropper makes them laugh out loud funny. The way Judd handles his wife cheating on him with his boss is kind of pathetic but the actions he takes- like smashing a cheesecake up his boss's butt when he walks in on him and his wife- are really funny. When the Foxman family gets together I did not think they would make it through the whole seven days and nights together. As soon as any of them are in a room together the snide comments start. It was like I was there on the outside listening to it all. Throughout the book you find out some of the reasons the family is so dysfunctional, and in the end they somewhat get it together. I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down in the two days I read it.

4/5 Stars

Book #2 of 25 for Mount TBR Reading Challenge
Click here to see my progress