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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
This book created a real conundrum for me—especially with Goodreads' rating system.
I can’t give it a 2, because I enjoyed it more than the books I’ve rated that low. But I also can’t in good conscience give it a 3, because there is no way this book deserves that.
First, the oversexualization of women in this book is astounding. Not a single page goes by without the narrator making a remark about a woman’s body—even teenagers—described in gratuitous, provocative detail. At first, I thought it might serve a narrative purpose. But it doesn't. It adds nothing to the story.
Then there’s a scene where Alice forces the narrator to have sex with her—even after he says no. That’s rape. Plain and simple. But the book treats it like it’s no big deal—because it happened to a man, I guess? It’s deeply unsettling and completely unnecessary to the plot. Maybe 2003 was just a different time, but that’s not an excuse.
The characters are painfully cliched:
- The big, angry brother who never lived up to his potential and hates his life.
- The older sister who’s cheating on her absent, workaholic husband.
- The reckless, immature younger brother—the black sheep of the family.
Every character is one-dimensional and unlikable, with no redeeming qualities. It’s hard to care about any of them.
Also, this is the second book by Tropper I’ve read where the main character’s wife has an affair. Is this a recurring theme for him? A writing crutch? A fetish? I don’t know, but it’s tired and repetitive.
Ultimately, this book left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn’t hate every moment of reading it, but it’s hard to ignore just how many things are wrong with it.
Rating: Somewhere between a 2 and a 3. Uncomfortably floating in the void.
But generally pretty funny and I still stand by this family having the most confusing interelational web ever.