The Glowing Recommendation: Jonathan Tropper

Well, with the laptop deader than dead, I haven't had the constant internet access as usual... which I've come to see as a good thing. I'm way too addicted. But in the meantime, I've been reading up a friggin storm and I finished 4 books in the last 3 days and am almost done with a 5th today. Which brings me to my glowing recommendation. Jonathan Tropper writes fantastic books, and you would really be doing yourself a favor by reading one of them.

I finished reading his latest effort, How to Talk to a Widower a few weeks ago. The book drew me right in, which was such a welcome change because I had been in a string of duds and clunkers, not horrible books, but books that I wasn't immediately drawn through and had to push myself into more. Or, some of my well-rationed chick lit that manages to draw you in, but is still completely predictable. I can't remember the last time that I had sunk into a quality book like this one. You can go to Amazon yourself and read the summary, so I won't waste my time here. I will say that Tropper really manages to balance the subplots in this book well. There really is no overriding plot beyond the backdrop of Hailey's death, but rather is a story of how that major event (which happens before the book starts) affects all other aspects of Doug's life. Like anything I love, it's the characters in here first and foremost and only the most charming of narrators could make the fallout effects of loss seem so humorous.

I'm currently just about done with Tropper's first novel, Plan B. I definitely got a Hornby-esque vibe after reading How to Talk to a Widower, but I felt it even stronger with Plan B, probably because the characters (and the narrator especially) are more like Rob in High Fidelity - lost and lonely when it comes to love. Even though this book was written about the generation a good ten or so years before me and even though it takes place a good ten or so years in the past (is it true that 1998 is really ten years ago??) and even though the characters are hitting 30 and I'm nowhere close to that... I still relate to them. Many of the five have been stuck in a post-college hangover where their lives have stalled out on one front or another - careerwise, lovewise, lookswise, and so on. This is the first book in I can't remember when that I've grabbed a pen to underline. I was a big underliner back in high school, but sort of dropped off when I started reading meatier texts, ones that didn't have as many catchall philosophical cliches that I felt sooooo identified me. Here, there's the ones that I identify with right now, but scarier still, there's more that I used to identify with. Still, I've got about 100 pages left, and I'm feeling just as happy with Plan B as I was with How to Talk to a Widower. I've already got the 3rd effort (Book of Joe) on my "To be read" pile, and you'd best believe that the next time I make an Amazon purchase, I'll be getting the only Tropper that I don't own(Everything Changes) to complete my collection. They're absolutely worth a lazy Sunday afternoon and $12.