Search - The Book of Joe

I was reminded of a recent tv series when I got this book..the basic premise being an author who wrote a potboiler about his hometown and then returns home years later to interact with estranged friends and family. No, it isn't original, but the characters are dimensional and real and the plot line entertaining. Joe, the main character, is flawed and not always such a nice person, but the reader is drawn to him because he embodies a certain humanity we all share. The tone of the book kept me reading for long periods of time and the end was satisfying.

I find myself having a hard time deciding how many stars to give Jonathan Tropper's Book of Joe. On the one hand, the book is beautifully written and well told. The plot moves along at a fast pace and the characters are well-defined, if not a little caricaturist. And yet, throughout the entire novel I couldn't help having the slightest feeling of déjà vu. It was like I had heard it all before. Oh sure, there were the occasional plot twists, and I even found myself wiping away a tear at a certain point near the end. But when I put the book down I couldn't see myself ever wanting to read it again.

The book follows the main character (aptly named Joe, if you hadn't caught that yet), as he returns to the hometown he shamelessly slandered in a best-selling, if not Oprah-worthy, debut novel. His father has suffered a stroke (original, I know), and so the prodigal son returns (again, that nauseous déjà vu is rising up). Everyone in town hates him now, from his brother (who never liked him anyway) to the town sheriff (who uhh, never liked him anyway) to his ex-girlfriend (who...well, you get the idea). What transpires are a series of events that I'm sure you can guess at considering he just returned to a town full of people who ... don't ... like ... him. He now has to come face to face with the destruction he wrought on the small town and the bitter and tawdry souls he left behind.

After mulling it over for far longer than one would think necessary, these are my conclusions as to why The Book of Joe is better left on the shelf:

Tropper tries too hard for shock value too much of the time. Case in point, the very first sentence of the book: "Just a few scant months after my mother's suicide, I walked into the garage, looking for my baseball glove, and discovered Cindy Posner on her knees, animatedly performing fellatio on my older brother, Brad." I understand all too well the need for a poignant and catching opening sentence, but any opening line containing the word fellatio just comes across as overkill.

The characters experience no growth. I like to see the characters I've invested my reading time in to learn and grow and mature and become thriving healthy beings. Or at least more interesting beings by book's end. I didn't see this happening. Furthermore, the characters were so.....soap opera-ish. Everyone was either taking their clothes off or throwing punches or doing drugs or gay. Or all of the above. It all got a little tedious and overbearing.

So, in conclusion, if you do read this book, I think you'll find it interesting and entertaining and even enjoyable, even if it has all been done before. Just don't go reading it expecting it to alter your life or change your outlook on the world. Unless déjà vu is life altering for you, then yeah, expect great things.

This is a fantastic book. The main character is an author who got his revenge on his hometown through a thinly-disguised fictional best-seller. When his father falls ill, he has to return home to face the music with some and try to reconnect with others. The characters are just amazing. This is one of those books that leaves you wanting just one more chapter; I didn't want it to end.

I really enjoyed this book. Tropper's writing is excellent, bridging the comic and the tragic so beautifully. I highly recommend it.

An engaging book by an engaging author.

Although the story line is something I've probably read a million times, as my father always likes to say, it isn't how the story ends, but how they manage to take you there. Going by that statement, this book does not fail to disappoint. Despite serious character flaws in the protagonist, you fall in love with him. There was a great mix of emotions here, and there were laugh-out-loud moments that had me giggling in public. The author has a great writing style and manages to hit certain analogies right on the head. I really enjoyed this book!