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The Book of Joe A Novel Jonathan Tropper Books

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The Book of Joe A Novel Jonathan Tropper Books

Tropper has the ability to create unlikable, failed characters with whom you (eventually) connect and feel a great deal of sympathy for. And he can wallop you with sentences that pierce straight to the heart. I've read three of his books (This is Where I Leave You, One Last Thing Before I Go, and this one), and I have liked all of them - very much. His books deal with sad subjects (and people), and they're not what I would call 'inspirational,' but they're also not depressing. They make you realize that most people can be given a second chance at any time in their lives if they will look at themselves honestly, face what's holding them back, forgive what needs forgiving, and move beyond what can't be forgotten.


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The Book of Joe A Novel Jonathan Tropper Books Reviews

This is the second book I have read by Jonathan Tropper, the first being "This is Where I Leave You," and although neither book made me laugh, as my friends said they all did reading "This is Where . . . ," I thought this was the more interesting of the two books. Joe returns to his hometown when his father has a stroke and tries to fit in with friends and family. The big problem is that he wrote a thinly veiled account of growing up in Bush Falls, CT that he called a novel, but the residents recognized themselves in the book and were not happy. To add to their displeasure, the book was made into a movie that made the locals angrier than the book itself did. The book proceeds to follow most of Joe's misadventures while in Bush Falls and at the end, he seems to have made some progress at establishing a relationship with his brother and he has a better understanding of his life and what he wants from it.
Jonathan Tropper has become one of my favorite authors. He's brilliant in the way he depicts his characters, they're all well-rounded (even the minor characters are fully fleshed out) and his stories all have a similar arc, but they don't get repetitive or boring. That, to me, is the sign of a true novelist. His protagonist always resembles everyone's idea of the "every man" whose life is about to be, or in some cases just has been, colossally wrecked and he is picking up the pieces. You'd think that would make for boring books, but he finds a way to make the formula work time and time again. He's just an amazing author. There are moments where you fight back tears, when you laugh out loud, and when you just sit in awe of the brilliance of this writer. Jonathan Tropper is the best. If you haven't read my favorite of his, "This Is Where I Leave You" I implore you to. Then, watch the movie they made of it. Although they changed it a lot, it really worked well.
One of the best books I've ever read. And for someone who majored in literature for 3 degrees, that says something. Of course, I'm not comparing this to any of the books in the canon, but even then I think it would stand on it's own.

Joe stopped developing (emotionally) when a very bad thing occurred during his senior year of high school. 17 yrs later, he returns to his hometown as a celebrity with whom everyone in town is rather disgusted. His book is thrown at him repeatedly, in a somewhat humorous way. He develops a fun and interesting relationship with his nephew. He discovers his brother does not live the perfect life he had previously assumed. And much much more. In short, he grows up and sees the people around him as full-fledged humans, as people with flaws and beauty and mistakes and profound love. His coming of age story will literally make you laugh, cry, and refuse to put the book down until you reach the end.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who reads.
First, just wanted to say Jonathan Tropper is my favorite new (to me) author and I don't think I could pick a fave book of his if you tied me up and tried to make me, but I read this one first, so I'll review it ) His plots and characters are right up my alley. This was a pretty quick read and I'm a notoriously slow reader.

I've been a bookworm all my life. I used to almost only read horror/thriller (read Stephen King and Dean Koontz), especially after college when I started working full time, as with our modern, fast paced society and the internet taking up all our time, I only had time to read my favorite authors and genres. However, as I began my 30s, after some career difficulties, I was suddenly "lucky" enough to have more free time. Plus the fact that I was at a crossroads in my life, re-evaluating who I was and what I wanted out of life, it was the perfect storm that got me to check out more authors and genres. And got me into the genre of quirky, indie "dramedy" films. I related to the characters and plots so much as it was exactly what I was going through in my life. And who I always had been, but had been brainwashed by our capitalist, Type A society into thinking you had to only be (or at least want to be) a certain type of person. One who acts like they've got it all figured out, while the rest of us just feel alienated and lost. The characters in these movies felt way more real than most Hollywood stuff and it was like a new world had been opened up to me. Suddenly it felt ok to be who I am.

So it was only a matter of time before I'd check out the "book versions" of these films. After reading the amazing We're All Damaged by Matthew Norman, I had to find more just like it. So I tried this book after seeing it recommended to me here. I instantly related to Joe - his struggles and his quirks. I only wish I could be as quick witted and funny as him ) So it troubles me when I read reviews where people call characters like this a "loser", "whiny", "boring", "milquetoast", "no backbone", "unlikeable", "pathetic", etc, since more often than not, its these type of characters I not only relate to, but also aspire to be more like - kind of my "ideal self". So it makes me wonder what these reviewers would think of me - maybe I shouldn't ask, haha. Yikes. But yes, their criticisms seem to show a disturbing lack of empathy since we're all damaged. All human and flawed but just doing our best in our own messed up way to survive this world and make sense of things. And since when do all characters have to be "likeable"? So yes, as a 40 year old who's still trying to figure things out in life, that's what I relate to and want to read about these days - deeply flawed but basically good hearted characters. These are my people. Sue me.

It also disturbs me when people say "nothing happens" in these books. Well, first I'd argue Seinfeld was also technically "about nothing" and a ton of people loved that (myself included). I'd also say that's just this genre - "dramedy" (mix of comedy and drama). Its not a "Hollywood blockbuster" (or whatever the book version of that is). Its just about people being people. Relationships. Humanity. If that's not your genre, fine, move on, lots of genres I don't care for either, but let us enjoy it who do appreciate the genre. Also bothers me when they say Joe shows no real growth over the course of the book. But isn't that just like life? People don't always magically "grow", become "better people", etc. We are who we are. And for some of us, that's enough.

I just wish Joe had been the older brother, since in the book the older brother is the success and Joe (younger) is the "mess". I just wish more books defied that trope and flipped the script and made the older brother the "mess". Then Joe would be even more relateable to me. And wish there'd been more resolution with the bully character storyline (spoilers). Really wanted him to get his, but that whole storyline seemed unresolved. But then again, I guess that's just like life? Not everyone gets their just desserts. Sometimes the bad guys don't pay and good people suffer. Tragic, but it is what it is.

I also don't like how this genre, Tropper in particular (though I guess I should have seen it coming due to his being heavily involved creatively with the Banshee TV show), tends to glorify the macho, "alpha male", "guy's guy" type dudes. Not sure if these writers have a "Hemingway Complex" or what, but one of the reasons I read this genre is actually to AVOID that type of thing, since there's enough of that both in the real world and in fiction as it is. That whole "grow up", "man up", "be a man" ideology can be really toxic for some of us who understand that we actually are different from the norm. How about more books where the male protagonist "grows" by learning he doesn't have to be that type of guy like society expects and he learns to be ok with himself, flaws and all. Now there's a book I want to read. Maybe I'll have to write it myself, haha. But I love the theme in a lot of these books about family coming together and learning to accept each other, flaws and all. Makes me wish my family could do the same for me - accept and understand me not despite, but because of my flaws, quirks, and unique needs.

Bottom line 5 stars all the way. Great book by a great author. As I think others have said, I think this book would make a great movie for its genre, just as This Is Where I Leave You was (though the book was definitely better, cliche but true). All his books are great. Just wish he'd write more, preferably more like this than Banshee, though I'd hate to see him inhibit his creativity.

If you like this book, I'd also recommend the authors Matthew Norman, Richard Russo, Nick Hornby, Tom Perrotta, Owen King, Adam Wilson, and Marshall Boswell. I also hope to check out the work of Jessica Anya-Blau soon (unfortunately her books are not at my local libraries and I'm low on cash at the moment). Any authors you'd recommend for me? Thanks for reading my review and, if you agree with anything I wrote, you can mostly catch me these days at twitter dot com/ShyLivesMatter Peace )
Tropper has the ability to create unlikable, failed characters with whom you (eventually) connect and feel a great deal of sympathy for. And he can wallop you with sentences that pierce straight to the heart. I've read three of his books (This is Where I Leave You, One Last Thing Before I Go, and this one), and I have liked all of them - very much. His books deal with sad subjects (and people), and they're not what I would call 'inspirational,' but they're also not depressing. They make you realize that most people can be given a second chance at any time in their lives if they will look at themselves honestly, face what's holding them back, forgive what needs forgiving, and move beyond what can't be forgotten.