The Book of Joe

A Novel

By: Jonathan Tropper

Narrated by: Scott Brick

A man must return to the hometown he disowned in this “sweet, deft, and sentimental coming-of-age-at-34 story” (New York Daily News) from the New York Times bestselling author of This Is Where I Leave You

“An elegiac, wickedly observant look at a small town and its secrets.”—Tom Perrotta, author of Mrs. Fletcher

Fifteen years after leaving Sleepy Bush Falls, Connecticut, Joe Goffman wrote a savage bestselling novel about his hometown. The book went on to become a hit movie, making Joe a pariah in the Falls, which was fine with him, since he never planned on going back. But when a family tragedy strikes, Joe is left with no choice. His return ignites a maelstrom of hostility among the town’s still enraged residents.

As Joe walks the familiar streets of his childhood, he revisits the terrible events of his senior year in high school, and the heartbreak and catastrophe from which he’s never fully recovered. After almost two decades of hiding it, Joe will finally have to face his troubled past and start mending fences with family, onetime schoolmates, and a former love. And with the help of some old friends, Joe might actually learn something—if he manages to live through the homecoming.©2004 Jonathan Tropper; (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A beautifully crafted book of enormous heart, humility, wit, honesty, and vulnerability. You want to call your friends at 3:00 AM and read whole passages out loud. You want to press it into the hands of strangers. You cannot stop thinking about it because it has rearranged your very molecules. You know that kind of book? This is that kind of book. The Book of Joe is utterly magnificent. I wish I'd written it myself."—Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors

"The Book of Joe is an elegiac, wickedly observant look at a small town and its secrets. In Jonathan Tropper's highly readable novel, the problem isn't that you can't go home again, it's that eventually you have to, whether you like it or not."—Tom Perrotta, author of Election and Joe College

"A sweet, deft and sentimental coming-of-age-at-34 story. .... [Tropper's] humor keeps his tale buoyant."
--The Daily News (NY)

"The Book of Joe will make you laugh and cry. Tropper has a very readable style, and Joe is a character you can connect with, warts and all."
--Associated Press

Ehh.

Maybe this story resonates with men a bit better, but it was just another story that passed the time for me. It had moments of humor, but ultimately didn't do it for me.

Great performance by Scott Brick!

I heard about this book by watching a video of narrator Scott Brick in which he said it was his personal favorite of all his performances. Since he is among my favorite narrators, I decided to download it and am very glad I did. A predictable plot (it's pretty easy to imagine what would happen if you were to leave your small home town for the big city, write a novel that profoundly insults everyone back home, then return home 20 years later) is rescued by a black comic sensibility and great writing that had me laughing out loud one moment and crying actual tears the next. As promised, Mr. Brick delivered a perfect reading of this memorable novel.

Interesting story

The description says the book is "by turns howling funny, fiercely intelligent, and achingly poignant." Lose the adjectives and I'd agree. Well-written.

Enjoyable but nothing special

This book has all the elements of a good made-for-tv movie - the main character is flawed enough to be interesting but not so much that he's unlikable, there's a good cast of supporting characters, and the story-line, while predictable, is still compelling enough to keep you from changing the channel. I enjoyed the listen and suspect that this is due in large part to the Scott Brick's excellent narration. Not sure I'd advocate spending a precious credit on this one, but I would recommend getting it when it goes on sale.

Great Read

Would you consider the audio edition of The Book of Joe to be better than the print version?

I enjoyed the narrator's version very much. The story is interesting and leaves room for thought. We read it in our book club and it led to a lively discussion