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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I wanted to love it so much because of This Is Where I Leave You and Plan B, but Tropper just didn't wow me like he had previously. I actually had a huge problem with how everyone called the main character by his last name...including his father, his ex-wife, his brother, and his daughter. I forgot his first name until Tropper brought it back for a joke 3/4 of the way through the book. Yeah, just generally not Tropper's best.
The topic of divorce and ex-spouses is a touchy one, so I was happily pleased with this book about a real slacker (Silver) coming to terms (finally) with his divorce and the fact that his ex-wife (Denise) and daughter (Casey) have moved on with their lives. The Silver character lives in a run-down, depressing apartment complex filled with other divorced men, so we get various scenarios of what can happen to men once their marriages end--mostly sympathetic, here, toward the men while fully addressing the fact that most of them were boobs who brought their situations on themselves. I laughed quite a bit at the idiocy of Silver, but still managed to root for him to figure things out. The supporting characters were realistic (men don't always write women well, but Tropper did a pretty good job), and the ending was very appropriate to the tone of the story. In other words, not schmaltzy!
Problem is I never reached the point I cared about this guy, ever. Now I did care somewhat about the people in his family. Perhaps that was the device Tropper was using? Who knows, I just know I wont be revisiting this book.
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I always enjoy Jonathan Tropper, and this was okay. Probably not one I would recommend, but enjoyable enough.
Similar to This is Where I Leave You. Different dysfunctional family, same tragic comedy. Fun read.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jonathan Tropper is one of my favorite authors. He has this uncanny ability to write about things that aren't funny, but his characters always see the painful humor in things. They are messy and real and screw things up and I love it all.
I found both the pregnancy and the medical condition to be strange plot lines that I both couldn’t get past and couldn’t stop reading about. Tropper writes that well. His character and dialogue can move past any ridiculous plot. If the plotline had been better I’d have liked the book much better. Who chooses to opt out of a heart condition at 43 because he’s not sure he wants to keep on living? I can completely relate to what Silver means but having that hang over your head at all times. Wouldn’t one be completely anxiety-ridden at all times? Tropper incorporates it as an additional character, or the fifth dimension or something to that effect. It’s somewhat ridiculous and the other characters realize it but analyze it and philosophize about it just the same. As the novel’s about Silver, Casey’s pregnancy isn’t a major plotline but Tropper handle it deftly. I’ve decided I won’t read novels that revolve around a pregnancy from a one-night-stand as it’s so unrealistic in 2012. Fortunately Tropper’s smarter than other authors. Both parents torment their daughter and mention how ridiculous she was not to use protection. Kudos to Tropper for mentioning abortion and detailing scenes with the parents on this. Also he’s realistic about teenagers.