Our favourite books this year, chosen by Orion editors...

Editor's Choice: Jon Wood chooses This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

Dear Reader,

Of all the books that I have published over the years, there is one that always topped my “friends’ chart”, and that is How To Talk To a Widower by Jonathan Tropper. I’ve had emails about how it made friends sob their eyes out, or how it made them laugh so hard (sometimes, bizarrely, mentioning the exact same sections…). In fact, when generally they love to give their constructive criticisms, I’ve never received a bad word about this one. It obviously gave me enormous pleasure that it was picked for RICHARD & JUDY and sold 150,000 copies…

But I was cautious about This is Where I Leave You. Jonathan had changed editors in the USA and I’d had word that it was going to be a far edgier novel than previous ones. Something that always makes me nervous. And, frankly, how could he top Widower anyway?

Well, somehow the extra freedom that he has now got has allowed him to manage it. Yes, it turns out that when the word “edgier” was used it meant “more raw”, “more powerful”, “more heartfelt” “more moving”, “a little more rude” and “just as funny”.

Basically it’s about a young guy, Judd Foxman, who loses his wife (she’s shagging his boss, it turns out), his job (well it was his boss) and his father (just died) in quick succession. The real sting in the tail is that his father has asked the entire (completely insane) Foxman family to ‘sit Shiva’ for a week – basically to lock themselves in the family home and receive mourners. Complete romantic, sexual and familial chaos ensues! Relationships are destroyed and rebuilt and (many, many) old secrets are revealed…

This is Where I Leave You is a wonderful, warm, acerbic, powerful novel (with occasional very rude bits). You will laugh, you will occasionally get something in your eye that will make it water, you will love it.

Enjoy!

Best Wishes

Jon Wood
Publishing Director