cebolla 's review for:

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

4.5

emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This is Where I Leave You reminded me why I fell in love with reading as a young child. It’s not too long and not too short; it’s got a list of characters that aren’t too complicated, but also aren’t too shallow; the story isn’t too happy and it’s not too sad either. It’s a good book to make time for, and once you start reading it’s really hard to put it down.

The protagonist—Judd—reminds me a bit of me. He’s a sarcastic, smart, Jewish Met fan from the east coast. When his did passes away he’s forced to return to his childhood home and sit Shiva with his four estranged siblings, their spouses, his over-sexed mom, and a rotating cast of other weirdos. Judd has just walked in on his wife of a decade having sex with his boss and his life is in shambles. Which I guess is the perfect time for some wonky adventures in your home town.

Am I a better person for having read this book? Probably not. But the time I spent with it made me feel happy and included. It’s been a hard time for me lately, and escaping into this book has pretty much made life worth living. I’m sad it’s over, but it’s probably one that will stay with me for a while (even though I apparently saw the movie based on this book a few years ago and had completely forgotten about it).

There’s not much more to say. I guess it made me wish I had a bigger family, or one that I lived closer to.