How to Talk to a Widower

How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper

My rating (out of 5 stars):

4 stars—I really liked it.

Goodreads Description:

“Doug Parker is a widower at age twenty-nine, and in his quiet suburban town, that makes him something of a celebrity—the object of sympathy, curiosity, and, in some cases, unbridled desire. But Doug has other things on his mind. First there's his sixteen year-old stepson, Russ: a once-sweet kid who now is getting into increasingly serious trouble on a daily basis. Then there are Doug's sisters: his bossy twin, Clair, who's just left her husband and moved in with Doug, determined to rouse him from his grieving stupor. And Debbie, who's engaged to Doug's ex-best friend and manically determined to pull off the perfect wedding at any cost.

Soon Doug's entire nuclear family is in his face. And when he starts dipping his toes into the shark-infested waters of the second-time-around dating scene, it isn't long before his new life is spinning hopelessly out of control, cutting a harrowing and often hilarious swath of sexual missteps and escalating chaos across the suburban landscape.”


My Thoughts:

I love Jonathan Tropper’s work. He puts the “fun” in dysfunction. His sarcastic humor is all over this book. There is some heaviness (the main character is a widow after all), but Tropper makes the emotion so realistic, so…touchable. Yes, in each book his male characters are all pretty similar (this is the main criticism I see about his work), but for some reason this doesn’t bother me.

I’m definitely a fan and will read anything Tropper writes. I hope he write 100 more books! “This is Where I Leave You” is still my favorite.