A few words on This is Where I Leave You

I read This is Where I Leave You back in March, but decided to write about it now because of the upcoming film adaptation. Here is my opinion and I hope it helps if you are considering downloading, borrowing, or purchasing this book.

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper tells the story of Judd Foxman and his dysfunctional family. In the first few chapters Judd walks in on his wife having an affair and learns that his father has passed away. His world is thrown into chaos as he heads back to his hometown to sit shiva with his family and honor his father's memory. When Judd arrives home, he is met by his strange mother, confrontational older sister, angry older brother, and boyish younger brother. The family spends all week together and what ensues is both dramatic and absurd.

The beginning of this book had me laughing out loud. When Judd walks in on his wife I actually choked on my coffee! I remember thinking "oh this is awesome." During the first chapters, I got that feeling I get while watching a great indie film, like when something is so weird but also just perfectly sweet.

At first I could really relate to Judd. I have never been in any of the situations he is faced with but Trooper wrote him in a very accessible way. Of course, quirky and accessible Jason Bateman is going to play Judd in the movie; it is perfect casting.

So the beginning was great, but the more characters that were introduced the less I enjoyed this book. It began to read like a screenplay (perhaps that was Tropper's intention all along?) and the characters were very um... superficial. I usually don't like film adaptations because you cannot see the inner struggle that a character must deal with. Tropper's book may be the exception because you only learn about the characters' superficially and nothing profound. I don't think anything will be lost in the film.

The other thing that needs to be said about this book regards the way Tropper wrote his female characters. I was actually uncomfortable at times. Not in the well written, "oh my god this woman is horrible" kind of a way but in the "Tropper doesn't seem to understand women." Yep, I'm going to say it, I think Tropper is misogynistic. All the woman in this book really seem to enjoy sex and babies...and that is all. I believe he thinks his female characters should have a lot of sex so they come across as empowered, but they just appear to be very one dimensional. These woman keep getting into really messed up situations involving sex and it seems to have absolutely no influence on any of the characters. None of the women in this book are well-rounded or described with the same detail as the men. You might say "that is the point, this book is written from a man's perspective," but in a book about family and a mother's influence, I feel there should be as much detail in a woman's character as there is in the description of her bathing suit. Just sayin'.

This was a quick read and I could see every scene in my head. It is perfect for a film and I think it will be a very simple adaptation. If the actors weren't so great I would probably skip it all together because honestly, I feel like I have already seen it. It wasn't a deep book which is a bit bizarre considering it is about grief and family. However Corey Stoll is in it and when I look at him all I can think about is sex and babies. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.