I liked this book. At first I wasn't sure that I would like it, let alone finish it. Sometimes the internal monologue of a Jewish male is pretty far from what I can relate to. I was, sadly, not raised by a crazy Jewish woman. I lived in New Jersey while I was young and I had wished that my Mother was a crazy Jew more than once. As it is she is a crazy Mormon Mother.
This book is about a family shitting Shiva for their recently deceased Father. For those who are unaware Shiva is a Jewish custom of morning for a week with family members. Shiva means seven in Hebrew. You sit either on the floor or close to the floor and people pay their respects by visiting you during this week long period. This family, like my own, has not spent much time all together in quite a while. There is the dysfunction that all families suffer from and then there is the extreme dysfunction.
The main voice of this book is Judd. Shortly before his Father's death from cancer Judd walks in on his wife doing that naked tango with Judd's boss. Judd is floored by the betrayal of his wife and then this devastation is compacted by his Father's death which is compacted, again, when Judd finds out his soon to be ex is carrying his baby.
I can't say that this was a light read by any means. You get right in the thick of Judd's depression and regret. You swim in it with him for most of the book. The last few chapters finally you are pulled up by the hair and things end on a mostly positive note.
The female voices in this book made me think of my friend Albert. If Albert were a Jewish woman, he would have written this book.
I recommend this book to those who can handle a depressing story without it sucking them in too much and those who can relate to mourning. I would also suggest this book to anyone who enjoys a good story. Jonathan Tropper can tell a good story. The individual voices of his characters are all clear, and while sometimes cliched, they are never confused.
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