I've been reading a lot of YA/NA novels lately so I decided to go for an adult one this day. So I picked this up. Little did I know that it was like a YA/NA novel inside an adult novel. I like Jonathan Tropper's This Is Where I Leave You. Despite its many vulgar words, it's a good one. Yes, many vulgar words, sexual content. A lot of profanities. So I wasn't surprised when The Book of Joe also contains those things. Honestly speaking, I found a LOT of similarities between the two. But the thing that made The Book of Joe more appealing to me is the fact that it's not an adult book at all. Why? Because Joe, the main character grew old. But he didn't grow up. It was like he was stuck in his 17-year-old soul as time passed by. So even though he was a good 34-year-old man, I didn't find it hard to feel for him. Joe came from Bush Falls. A small town wherein everything that happens to everyone obviously scatter around the town faster than the speed of light! I know. That sounds absurd. But that's true to their life and even to the real world. See? This one is so realistic! He had two best friends, Wayne and Sammy. He had a not-so-healthy family relationship with his father and brother. He had an amazing girlfriend. So it was kind of a good shot but not right. Fast forward, he became a novelist. What he did for his first novel is really disturbing for me. Yeah, it sounds like fiction but it wasn't. And he knew it and everyone who were involved in the book knew too. I know how bad the people in his town had been when he lived there. But was it enough for him to write it in a novel for all the world to see? And though it was fiction as he said it was, still, everyone in that town knew it was utterly true. They got mad, obviously for the fact that they knew what he had written was true anyway. And I got so mad back at them because really, they're just so stupid, insensitive and seriously lacking a soul and a heart. Things got bad. He had to come back to the town and he received a lot of not-so-good things. Father's stroke, Wayne's disease, Brad's family affairs, Carly's cold welcome, and the town's wrath. He had a lot of unresolved issues. I felt every emotion there probably was. And hey! He's a 34-year-old man. Yet I felt his pain because I just can't imagine going through that. It's just so realistic you know? As I've said, there are a lot of profanities and I didn't care because I always want to look past every novel that I read for me to see its beauty. I'm not saying its profanities are beautiful, it's just that, it was written beautifully and in a realistic way that you wouldn't even care for it. Yes, this was depressing for me. And I cried too! Sometimes I think I'm such a weird person for crying ever so easily but it's just so sad and depressing that I can't help but cry.Alright, enough. The Book of Joe is such an amazing book. It's gonna make you realize that people can grow old all too well and yet, they're gonna remain to be the 17-year-old they wish they'd always be. You'll realize how cruel the world can be may it be on your youth or your adulthood.
Jonathan Tropper is my new favorite author. I have also read "This is Where I Leave You" and I thought it was outstanding and "The Book of Joe" is even better. It is basically a coming of age story of a 34 year old man. Tropper really does a good job of writing stories that seem true to the male psyche. I have read a lot of reviews on this book and they are almost all positive, but they miss the biggest point of the book. It is a hilarious book with some heart breaking moments that will lead you to tears...if you have a heart. Joe's best friends in high school are gay and I think the depiction of what it must have been like in the 80's in high school as a gay youth is right on. The story of these friends' life is painful to read at times, thankfully Tropper finds a way to add humor in a respectful way. Basically, the plot is Joe Goffman leaves his small town and writes a best selling "fiction" novel about his town and his senior year in high school where basketball is king. He is brutally honest about the people, the basketball program, his friends, his girlfriend, his family, etc....never thinking he would go back, but when his dad has a stoke, he has to go back. The book leaves you wondering about the future of Joe, but leaves you with hope...which seems to be the montra of Tropper books. If you can handle the language and sex in the book, you will love this book. If you are a man, you will see yourself in a lot of this book, unless somehow you've lived the perfect life with no issues...if you are a woman, you will get a little better understanding of what is going on in a man's mind...unless you only like the goody goody guys....
What do You think about The Book Of Joe (2005)?
Right after high school, Joe Goffman left sleepy Bush Falls, Conneticut and never looked back. Then he wrote a novel savaging everything in town, a novel that became a national bestseller and a huge hit movie. Fifteen years later, Joe is struggling to avoid the sophomore slump with his next novel when he gets a call: his father's had a stroke, so it's back to Bush Falls for the town's most famous pariah. His brother avoids him, his former classmates beat him up, and the members of the book club just hurl their copies of Bush Falls at his house. But with the help of some old friends, Joe discovers that coming home isn't all bad—and that maybe the best things in life are second chances.Fans of Nick Hornby and Jennifer Weiner will love this book, by turns howlingly funny, fiercely intelligent, and achingly poignant. As evidenced by The Book of Joe's success in both the foreign and movie markets, Jonathan Tropper has created a compelling, incredibly resonant story.
—Nancy
I wanted to like this book. I had every reason to -- not only was it the only book I had with me on vacation, but it had been recommended by someone whose opinions I trust and the author had been compared to Michael Chabon and Richard Russo, writers I love. But no matter how much I tried, I could not ignore the absolute awfulness of the writing. Tropper piles on adjectives randomly, giving ridiculously elaborate and yet banal descriptions of mundane things like drinking a soda ("long, thirsty sips") or smoking a joint ("one long, meaningful drag" -- which makes you wonder what the meaning of a meaningful drag might be) while at the same time falling back on the most trite and obvious cliches when describing important things -- like his characters. The love (or really sex) interests are invariably described using words like "perfect," "flawless," and "hairless" (really!) -- there's not a single, fond conjuring of a woman's physical quirks other than a brief mention that one woman's imperfections "only serve as foils to her perfection." Instead, we're treated to descriptions that seem to have been ripped out of a Penthouse Forum letter -- "her full, impossibly red lips" and "her breasts straining against the dark fabric of her sweater" and so on. Meanwhile, the characters are mostly one-dimensional cliches -- the dim-witted bully, the sadistic coach, the pursed-lipped sanctimonious Christian mother of the gay athlete, the tragic homosexual, and, of course, the high school sweetheart who remains true and sensible in the face of the hero's self-destructive imbecility, biting her lip on page after page whenever Tropper wants to convey that a thought has entered her pretty head. As much as I tried to soldier on, I ended up defeated at page 226 by the book's overwhelming awfulness.
—Dashka
Joe Goffman is coming to terms with the fact that he just might be an asshole. He is forced to return to his hometown of Bush Falls, when his father has a stroke. His homecoming is slightly complicated by the fact that during his 17 year absence, he wrote a bestselling novel bashing the town and everyone in it. Oh yeah and then the book was turned into a movie… Needless to say the town isn’t too happy to see him. On the upside, Joe’s return home reconnects him with his best friend from high school and his ex girlfriend.Throughout the story, we learn the events that made Joe hate this town. However more importantly, we see Joe start to fight his asshole tendencies and connect with people again. I love Jonathan Tropper. He creates these great antiheros who are flawed and damaged and loveable. You root for Joe. You want things to work out for him. Also, Tropper crafts great stories from normal events. Nothing seems improbable or too large. Even the slightly overly dramatic moments come off as touching and vital to the story. Although this book deals with some heavy material, its approached with levity and a sense of humor. I both laughed out loud and tried to hide tears from the other people sitting in Barnes and Noble. I still like This Is Where I Leave You better, but this is still a great read.
—Rachelle
