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This Is Where I Leave You  By  cover art

This Is Where I Leave You

By: Jonathan Tropper
Narrated by: Ramon De Ocampo
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Editorial reviews

Judd Foxman has not had a good year. Shortly after catching his wife in bed with his boss (a Howard Stern-like DJ whom he works for as a producer), he learns that his father has died. Not only must Judd attend the funeral, he then has to honor his dad's dying request sitting shiva for seven days with the rest of his eccentric family, including his sex therapist mom, older brother Paul (who's married to Judd's high school sweetheart), sister Wendy, and youngest brother Phillip, who leads a carefree life of hedonism. While a few of the storylines ring cliché (namely catching your wife with your boss), this book is anything but. The dialogue between the family members is realistic, witty, and caustic. And just when you're hysterically laughing at a scene, the next one sucker punches you with the vulnerability and authenticity of Judd's emotions.

Narrator Ramon de Ocampo delivers the right tone for this novel written from Foxman's point of view dry and defeated but the nasal quality of his voice is sometimes distracting and can even border on effeminate. Besides that, his pace is perfect, as well as his voice changes for the dialogue of different characters he really shines as Judd's mother and some of the older Jewish men that drop by to pay their respects.

While This Is Where I Leave You is very funny, the truly laugh-out-loud scenes are few and far between, with the heart of the book being the very real, and very emotional trials of Judd Foxman and the relatable love/hate relationship he shares with his family members. Colleen Oakley

Publisher's summary

The death of Judd Foxman's father marks the first time that the entire Foxman family - including Judd's mother, brothers, and sister - have been together in years. Conspicuously absent: Judd's wife, Jen, whose 14-month affair with Judd's radio-shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public.

Simultaneously mourning the death of his father and the demise of his marriage, Judd joins the rest of the Foxmans as they reluctantly submit to their patriarch's dying request: to spend the seven days following the funeral together. In the same house. Like a family.

As the week quickly spins out of control, longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed, and old passions reawakened. For Judd, it's a weeklong attempt to make sense of the mess his life has become while trying in vain not to get sucked into the regressive battles of his madly dysfunctional family.

©2009 Jonathan Tropper (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"The affectionate, warts-and-all portrayal of the Foxmans will have fans wishing for a sequel (and clamoring for all things Tropper)." (Amazon.com review)
"Tropper strikes an excellent balance between the family history and its present-day fallout, proving his ability to create touchingly human characters and a deliciously page-turning story." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about This Is Where I Leave You

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    4 out of 5 stars

Grabbed me and held on...

This novel about a familiar and complicated family grabbed me quickly and held my attention throughout. I should probably let this sit a bit before writing this as I just finished the book but the end was a bit too open ended for me. Yes life is filled with options but which feels right for you? Oh Judd. Definitely a fan of Tropper's now.

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Fantastic imagery

The descriptions are and instantly relatable. The humor in this book is "to die for."

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entertaining in that self-deprecating way

Where does This Is Where I Leave You rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's kind of the cliche story of crazy siblings reuniting over the death of a parent and chaos ensues.

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Family is crazy

What a great story about love, relationships, changes and family. Good to know families are all complicated.

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Great book, way better than the movie.

Much more vivid than expected. Didn't think it would be such an emotional story, but it was a welcomed treat.

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Brilliant!

Would you consider the audio edition of This Is Where I Leave You to be better than the print version?

Didn't read the print version, but the writing lends itself enormously well to narration. Has a David Sidarus quality to it.

Have you listened to any of Ramon de Ocampo’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I would absolutely do so again and again.

Any additional comments?

This book is so very well written with the voice that matches the entire shiva experience. Witty, surprising and so very well crafted.

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Excellent portrait of modern family life

This book has everything that family life itself has: imperfect people, comedy, tragedy, loss, stupidity, heroic acts, inept but well-meaning relationships, and a lot of sex. The narrator is excellent, particularly in his small comments, the way he says "yeah," or "nah" can carry a scene and sound perfectly authentic. This book is being made into a movie, but it's hard to imagine it can be as good as this version. That's what's great about audiobooks---they are a unique and compelling art form of their very own.

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    3 out of 5 stars

All about sex&cursing otherwise a messed up family

I'm glad I listened to the audio book. I wasn't that into the story. I must have missed the part about him losing his leg. If it wasn't missed it should have been explained. Messed up family but I guess we all are. I want to say "cathartic" but it really wasn't. p.s. everyone's life isn't absorbed with sex.

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Absolutely Fantastical!

Would you listen to This Is Where I Leave You again? Why?

Yes. Great story and great narration.

What did you like best about this story?

Extremely funny yet very real and insightful and tender. Each character is deeply flawed but you find yourself rooting for each of them somehow.

Which character – as performed by Ramon de Ocampo – was your favorite?

Judd but they were all excellent.

If you could take any character from This Is Where I Leave You out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Judd... super funny.

Any additional comments?

Can't imagine anyone not enjoying this book.

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Tropper’s Characters are Amazing

The author’s character descriptions are so vivid and relatable. j The only thing I did not like about this book is that it ended.

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