ruthslavid

I really liked this book. A lot. This novel follows a very predictable patter - a family coming together in a time of grief and forced to face their long-seated resentment and utter lack of communication - but it is a relatively fresh take on the concept. After the patriarch of the family dies, the rest of the family sits shiva for seven days straight when most of them can't stand to be in the same room with one another. It's a typical family dealing with slightly exaggerated atypical problems: the mother a grieving widow with too-tight, too-short outfits that are definately not traditional mourning attire; the eldest brother Paul who is still bitter from a childhood accident that derailed his dreams; the narrator, Judd, who is dealing with his own disaster of a divorce; the only daughter, Wendy, who is willingly trapped in a loveless marriage; and Phillip, the family screw-up who's never really fit in. Their week together is sad, and comical, and sadly comical. Imagine a Jonathan Frazen novel that's actually funny in a humorous way, not in an 'oh my God that's so tragic and depressing all I can do is laugh' way. I wil say that the narration lacked a litte depth. A lot of the time I feel like Tropper went for humor and shock value in a way that was unneccessary - the plot would have held up on its own. Also, the overt sexuality of this book isn't a hinderance, but it doesn't add all that much either. It was a really easy read in that it flowed well and had a great pace. My only real complaint, and it's not much of one, is that the ending seemed a little forced. After such build-up, the ending felt like a bit of a cop out. For such a messy family, it all wrapped up a little too neatly with a sugar-coated bow on top. But other than that, I really, really enjoyed it.

2020-09-11 20:43