10.30.2012

Recent Reads: This Is Where I Leave You

thisiswhereileaveyou

I read a lot of books and I enjoy most of them. But it’s been a while since I found myself 100% invested in a book. I was barely halfway through the novel and already I was sad about it ending. That’s when I truly know I am reading a great book. I always liken it to a summer love affair. You know it’s going to end eventually, but you do it anyway and it’s so wonderful and exciting and still sad when you have to say goodbye.

I forgot about that feeling until I read This Is Where I Leave You.

Our narrator is Judd Foxman, a recently separated man who walked in on his wife having sex with his boss. Since that moment, he has teetered the line between heartbroken and angry. He lost his wife, his job, and his home, and is currently unemployed and living in a basement apartment pitying himself. Then comes the news that his father, who had been suffering stomach cancer for quite a while, had finally passed away. Because of this, and because of his father’s dying wish, the whole Foxman family (his sister Wendy, his brothers Paul and Phillip, and his mother) is forced in their childhood home to sit Shiva for an entire week. As with most families, the Foxmans have their issues, and everything eventually comes to light as they are forced to spend the majority of their time inside of the house side by side.

This book is so wonderful. I enjoyed every single moment. And I loved every single character.
The humor is effortless and the life lessons are bountiful. It is the perfect balance of hilarity and humility, like life itself.

It has definitely made the list of my favorite books.
I would highly recommend this. You’re missing out on something great if you don’t read it.

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