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This is Where I Leave You Audiobook
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(3.00) - 23,107 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
If you're looking to commiserate with somebody else whose life is not going as planned, This Is Where I Leave You might be the audiobook for you. At the same time, the humor in the story will lift your spirits and make you glad you listened.
Judd Foxman has been dealt some bad news. First, he finds out his wife is having an affair with his boss. Then he's told his father has passed away. When Judd attends his father's funeral, he discovers his Dad's last wish was for his family members to observe Shiva, a Jewish family custom of mourning together for one week. While many families could endure this, Judd's dysfunctional family hasn't been together in a long time, let alone for a whole week. So Judd spends a week with his mother, who is a sex therapist, two brothers (one of whom is married to an ex-girlfriend) and his sister.
As the week passes, Judd tries to deal with his wife's infidelity while being stuck with his family. As they mourn their father, they reminisce about the past, deal with issues, argue, fight, and forgive. For good measure, there are several laughs along the way.
Jonathan Tropper was born in the New York City area. After receiving a Master's degree from New York University in Creative Writing, he worked in a different field and pursued his writing on his own time. His first, book, Plan B was published in 2000. He writes about many of his own experiences, and Westchester County is still the setting for many of his stories.
"This book will break your heart even while you are laughing out loud. Judd Foxman's father has died and, apparently, one of his last wishes was for his non-observant Jewish family to sit a seven day shiva for him. Only one member of the family will be absent--Judd's wife Jen. Judd recently arrived home early on Jen's birthday to surprise her and he received the surprise of his life. Jen and Judd's boss--a Howard Stern-type radio personality--were in bed together causing Judd to act inappropriately with a lighted birthday cheesecake and to walk out of his marriage. And now Judd has to go to his childhood home alone to face this 7 day mourning period causing him to muse, "You get married to have an ally against your family and now I'm marching into the trenches alone". And what a family it is. Twenty-five years earlier his mother wrote a book about parenting called "Cradle and All: A Mother's Guide to Enlightened Parenting" that became a national best-seller and making his mother a celebrity expert on raising children. Since she used the experiences she had with her four children and used their real names in her book, Judd admits that "predictably, my siblings and I were screwed up beyond repair". His elder brother lost an athletic scholarship to college because of an accident and works with his father, his sister is in a loveless, but profitable marriage, and his younger brother, who has been in one unsavory incident after another, shows up with a woman 20 years older than himself and announces that they are engaged. Very quickly, this forced togetherness causes old relationships, resentments, and alliances to surface among the siblings. Or as Judd puts it, "It becomes clear to me that the reason for filling the shiva house with visitors is most likely to prevent the mourners from tearing each other limb from limb". An engaging story of family dynamics told, refreshingly, from the male point of view."
— Judy (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
Hailed as a "heartfelt family drama/belated coming-of-age story" (Publishers Weekly), This Is Where I Leave You finds Judd Foxman's life in disarray. Shortly after Judd's wife leaves him for his boss, Judd's father Mort passes away, bringing the entire family together in mourning. During this week of "sitting shiva," Judd realizes his siblings are even more dysfunctional than he is, and the confrontations that ensue are full of raw emotion and humorous consequences.
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Quotes
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“Smartly comic…In a wry domestic tone nicely akin to Tom Perrotta’s, Mr. Tropper goes on to introduce a darkly entertaining bunch of dysfunctional relatives…Although Mr. Tropper’s dialogue here is fast and fresh, his book also has ballast. The death of a father would seem to provide that automatically, but it takes a while for these characters to shed their flippancy and understand what has hit them.”
— New York Times -
“[A] magnificently funny family saga…It’s amazing what can happen in the hands of the casually brilliant author…Who knows, maybe the Foxmans live down the street from the Bluths of TV’s Arrested Development? Maybe once they crossed paths at the airport with the Lamberts of Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections? Certainly they’re traceable on the same Google Map of Dysfunctionville…Read and weep with laughter.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“Often hilarious and often heartbreaking…Consistently surprising. Tropper keeps the reader off-balance by changing the allegiances between siblings and spouses, friends and enemies, lovers and losers, and the result is a novel that charms by allowing for messes, loose ends, and the reality that there’s only one sure ending for everyone.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“Hilarious…The Foxman brothers must become men, though, God knows, they don’t want to. They want to remain hard-punching, dope-smoking, lighthearted pranksters, but life won’t stand for that. Forgiveness, compassion, and compromise are all in the cards for them now that their dad has died. This a beautiful novel about men—their lust and rage and sweetness. Read it—or take it as a gift—when you next go on a dreaded family holiday.”
— Washington Post -
“A snappy and heartfelt family drama/belated coming-of-age story…The family’s interactions are sharp, raw, and often laugh-out-loud funny, and Judd’s narration is unflinching, occasionally lewd, and very keen. Tropper strikes an excellent balance between the family history and its present-day fallout, proving his ability to create touchingly human characters and a deliciously page-turning story.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Ramón de Ocampo gives a subtly nuanced rendering of Jonathan Tropper’s family story…De Ocampo reveals the various characters involved in the family shivah with a degree of variation in tone and voice that doesn’t call attention to itself while delineating identity and gender. Listeners will enjoy the first half of the book for its wit and the second half for its insight.”
— AudioFile -
“This is a story that could be told by your best guy friend: laugh-out-loud funny, intimate, honest, raunchy, and thoroughly enjoyable. Tropper is spot-on with his observations of family relationships as each member deals with new grief, old resentments, and life’s funny twists of fate. Tropper’s characters are real, flawed, and very likable, making for a great summer read.”
— Booklist -
“With its frat-house language and sexual obsessions, this hilarious, testosterone-driven thrill-ride comes with all the weaponry at the Foxmans’ disposal: physical blows, verbal darts, psychological barbs, friendly jousts, and loving punches to the solax plexus. And the women have their say as well; there are no neutral corners in this melee. Highly recommended for Tropper fans, who will rejoice at the opportunity to indulge; others will wonder where he’s been all their lives.”
— Library Journal -
“Few can rival [Tropper’s] poignant depictions of damaged men befuddled by the women they love.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
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A Los Angeles Times bestseller
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Selected for the August 2009 Indie Next List
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An Amazon Best Book of the Month, August 2009
This is Where I Leave You Listener Reviews
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" I liked this book a lot. If you prefer your characters to be good people, this maybe isn't for you, but if you like fucked up families trying to figure out how to interact as adults, this should be right up your alley. "
— Sarah, 2/20/2014 -
" I didn't like the main character, Judd, and thought the family drama was a bit exhausting. "
— Heather, 2/15/2014 -
" Funny, easy read with great characters for discussion. "
— Danielle, 2/3/2014 -
" This was just what the Dr ordered ! I needed a good laugh! "
— Jillanne, 1/25/2014 -
" Loved it - very humorous! "
— Erin, 1/24/2014 -
" Sure, all the Tropper books I've read blend together. But it takes talent to write about serious life issues like adultery and mourning in a lighthearted way. Tropper does this successfully. His books are funny and at times poignant, with a distinctly male perspective. "
— Anita, 1/20/2014 -
" A compelling black comedy about a family grieving the death of its father, while smoking pot in their old Hebrew school's classrooms. I laughed and cried and laughed some more. "
— Jessica, 1/16/2014 -
" I don't know the last time I reaa book with such a dominant voice. Refreshingly honest and heart wrenching. Loved the family dynamics and the whole hearted way theyviewed love and relationships. "
— Shanna, 1/16/2014 -
" very funny book. I caught myself laughing outloud a few times. "
— Mindi, 12/6/2013 -
" one of the funniest books i've read in a long time, loved the slacker main character and his hysterical commentaries on his sad life "
— Sandy, 11/27/2013 -
" Loved this book. Loves the sense of humour, the mixture of sad and comical, heartfelt and sometimes mean. At first glance the story line didn't appeal but I found it interesting, and for drawn in quickly. I loved all the characters, quirky and fun. Great read! Flew through it! "
— Reb, 11/3/2013 -
" Hilarious and heartbreaking. One of the best books I have read this year. "
— Jessica, 10/29/2013 -
" Family drama; hilariously funny, then sad. Parts are predictable, though the adventure getting there is fun. "
— Ian, 9/9/2013 -
" I really connected with this story and the likable, dysfunctional characters. I'm looking forward to Jason Bateman play Judd in the film. "
— Ashley, 8/30/2013 -
" I picked this one up on a whim, and was not disappointed. It reads like something Nick Hornby might have written. I have always been oddly drawn to books about broken masculinity, and that it what this book is about. Well written dialog. Touching, funny, and somehow in the end actually pretty deep. "
— Tomi-Ann, 3/29/2013 -
" A family sits Shiva in accordance with their recently departed father's wishes. The stuff that happens during this seven days of forced proximity is hilarious, sweet, and touching. Tropper has more books and I think I am going to read them all. "
— Valerie, 12/13/2012 -
" Not my favorite story, but I truly enjoyed the writing. Word choice and the way the author made me visualize scenes was great. "
— Andrea, 12/6/2012 -
" Great book!!! Loved the humor! "
— Kelly, 12/3/2012 -
" A book about the microcosm of life. The highs the lows and all the shit we are not prepared for, stuck....somewhere in-between. "
— Quinn, 11/19/2012 -
" Fantastic. This was my first Tropper book. I have now read all of them and can't wait for the next one! "
— Denise, 10/30/2012 -
" I just finished reading this for my new book club. Good book (I suppose) if you are into the Lifetime movie melodrama. Not my typical pick, but its nice to read something different every now and then. This is Where I Leave you is funny and witty - a fast read for sure. "
— Thanuja, 8/12/2012 -
" Unfortunately read this one in Swedish but still enjoyed it! A family drama, a bit exaggerated at times perhaps but still a good read. "
— Geraldine, 2/7/2012 -
" So sad, but a wonderful book -- quirky interesting characters, with quirky interesgting problems. "
— Jeffrey, 12/26/2011 -
" Who would have thought that a whole novel about one week of a family's shiva could be laugh out loud funny? This is a wonderfully dysfunctional family that makes you realize your own family might not be so bad after all. Loved this one totally!! "
— Rozzinner, 10/27/2011 -
" I really liked this book. It made me laugh out loud more than once, though I would not categorize it as a funny book. Maybe mostly real. I would definitely recommend it. Better than most. Give it a whirl. "
— Leigh, 9/22/2011 -
" Really funny. Wanted to read because it is in the process of being made into a movie "
— Lisa, 8/2/2011 -
" Hilarious! It was like a scene in Seinfeld. "
— Rowena, 6/10/2011 -
" This family drama revolves around four siblings that are compelled to sit shiva for their atheist father. It will be made into a movie that will be just as good as the book. "
— Dena, 5/24/2011 -
" Some of the writing is verging on brilliantly and poignantly humorous. While some of the content doesn't allow me to recommend this to all my friends [:)], it's, at times, laugh out loud, and certainly more thought-provoking than initially expected. "
— Jonathan, 5/15/2011 -
" It was funny. Not the best book that I read, but it was okay "
— Rosana, 5/13/2011 -
" I laughed a lot during this book. "
— Carissa, 5/12/2011 -
" I liked this book. It wasn't the best book ever, but a good read. <br/>I think the realness in the book was what made it good. The family drama seemed so realistic. It was easy to relate to the characters, they were likeable and well developed. I felt like I really got to know the family. <br/> "
— Lindsay, 5/11/2011 -
" really a 3.5. While I really looked forward to reading it each night, I felt that many of the scenes were not believable, which aggravated me. "
— Jennifer, 5/11/2011 -
" I absolutely LOVED this book. It's hilarious. Well written. Great characters. Sarcastic just like me. "
— Dvora, 5/10/2011 -
" Lots of laugh out loud moments. I enjoyed this book. He really uses self depricating humor. Its an incredibly tragic story that kept me entertained. "
— Katie, 5/10/2011 -
" I don't think I would have ever discovered this book on my own. (Thanks Book Club!) This book was funny, touching, and well written. Definitely worth the time. "
— Heidi, 5/9/2011 -
" so far - great! johathan tropper has such dry wit and humor. i have been laughing out loud. scott is going to be the second person i pass it onto. this book is just as good as the "the book of joe." "
— Hilary, 5/9/2011
About Jonathan Tropper
Jonathan Tropper is the author of How to Talk to a Widower, Everything Changes, The Book of Joe, Plan B, and This Is Where I Leave You. He lives with his family in Westchester, New York, where he teaches writing at Manhattanville College.
About Ramón de Ocampo
Ramón de Ocampo, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, was a cowinner in 2018 of the Audie Award for Best Multi-Voiced Performance. A graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, he has been seen on television, film, and stages all over the world, including recurring roles on such television shows as The West Wing, 12 Monkeys, Sons of Anarchy, and Medium. He is the winner of a prestigious Obie Award for his stage work.