I recently read This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper on my Kindle.
I really enjoyed this book because of how real and just RAW it is. Judd's father dies and his dying wish is that his family (Judd, his three siblings and their mother) spend a week together sitting shiva. They are all in various stages of life - Judd's wife has left him for his boss, Brother Paul thinks he needs to save Dad's business and the world, Sister Wendy barely recognizes herself after a marriage and three kids, Brother Phillip is an all around screw up, and Mom is a well known child rearing expert that did a number on all four of her kids.
As they spend the week together, secrets come out, secrets get hidden and all of them learn about themselves and the others. The book is quite funny, they all have dry senses of humor and zing each other quite a bit. It totally reminded me of my family. We get through all crises with humor, most of it inappropriate. A few years ago, my mom found a mass in her breast. It would "move" when she tried to touch it. So we called it her titmouse. See, inappropriate. But funny. After my car accident, I had quite a heavy limp. My sister told my mom she was going to take me out for a drag. Inappropriate. But funny.
The book is told from Judd's perspective. A perspective which just saw his wife banging his boss in his own bed. The way Judd describes how his marriage has become somewhat routine was so relateable and real. Something I'm sure we have all been through.
I wasn't a huge fan of the ending, but I seem to have a history of that. If a book doesn't end exactly how I want it to, I am a little disappointed. I like a wrapped up bow at the end. But, as we know, that doesn't always happen in books or in life!
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