BOOK REVIEW: 'This Is Where I Leave You'
Death in the Foxman Family Opens Old Wounds, Family Secrets in Dark Comic Novel
Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
Judd Foxman wasn't surprised when his father, sporting goods merchant Morton Foxman, dies. After all, he was suffering from terminal cancer. What surprises him is that his father's dying request was for the family to observe the traditional seven days and seven nights of Orthodox Jewish mourning, sitting shiva in the family house, being on hand to welcome drive-by mourners in Jonathan Tropper's "This Is Where I Leave You" (Plume Paperback, 352 pages, $15.00).
Shiva is seven in Hebrew and Mort Foxman's request surprises Judd, his older brother Paul and his sister Wendy because they've always considered their dad to be a fairly non-observant Jew, almost an atheist. Youngest brother Phillip, the rock star handsome youngest sibling -- "the Paul McCartney" of the Foxman family -- doesn't care as he arrives with his latest love, his 15 years' older therapist, Tracy. They're "engaged to be engaged."
It's a bad time for Judd for a funeral and the seven days and nights of sitting shiva that follow the funeral. His marriage to Jen is apparently over after he caught her and his shock-jock boss Wade Boulanger having sex in their bedroom. Judd was producer of "Man Up With Wade Boulanger," a top-of-the-ratings morning drive-time radio show that sounds a lot like Howard Stern's programs with its emphasis on sex, sports, sex, music and more sex. Now he's living in a dank basement apartment and is in no mood for seven days and seven nights with his family, including his celebrity shrink mom Hillary who has carved out a career as a child-rearing author and expert.
As the days and nights follow, the Foxman family secrets and grudges are revealed. Paul and his wife Alice are trying to have a baby. Wendy's husband, Barry, has one of those semi-implanted cell phones and he's walking and talking a mile a minute making deals.
This is an episodic novel, so I won't dwell on its twists and turns -- and the surprise arrival of Jen. I was casting the novel as I read it -- and the usual suspects from Hollywood, which includes Australia, Canada and the UK -- have been given important roles in my imaginary movie. On the reel-life front, Tropper is currently adapting "This Is Where I Leave You" as a feature film for Warner Bros. Studios.
You'll love "This Is Where I Leave You" if you have any miles on you. And I've only mentioned a few of the characters in Tropper's novel. Wait until you meet Judd's first love, ice skating instructor Penelope Moore -- if you exclude Paul's wife, Alice, that is! It's a wonderful effort by an author who understands family dynamics.
About the Author: Jonathan Tropper is the author of "How to Talk to a Widower," "Everything Changes," 'The Book of Joe," and "Plan B." He lives with his family in Westchester County, NY, where he teaches writing at Manhattanville College. His website: www.jonathantropper.com.
Publisher's website: www.penguin.com