Give me some of that sweet dysfunction.

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

I devoured this book. In the midst of some LOL moments, I had a lump in my throat at some of the more tender descriptions of a messed-up family, sitting shiva for their deceased father. Judd Foxman, one of the sons, has caught his wife in bed with his boss and at the same time that he mourns his father, he is mourning the death of his marriage to Jen. When the whole Foxman clan (his brothers, sister, and hot mama) assembles to sit shiva for 7 days and nights, sparks fly, old grudges are dug up, and we're treated to the inner workings of this family who, in the end, learn that they really do love and need each other, in their own odd way. So often, I finish a book and immediately forget about the characters or don't care about them. Not this time. This family will stick with me for awhile and I've already recommended the book to so many people. I guess I'll be looking into some of Tropper's other novels....even though I had never heard of him before. Great writer with a lot of meaningful, insightful things to say and a great sense of humor. This is one of those stories I'll be tempted to pick up again down the road. I loved it!