The Book of Joe

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.

“"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.”

“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, New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Fletcher

“A beautifully crafted book of enormous heart, humility, wit, honesty, and vulnerability. You want to call your friends at 3 a.m. 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 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

“Moving, funny and compulsively readable . . . Tropper leads Joe through a quest for a better self that is wise, honest, and often downright hilarious. He erects a story of emotional truth that leaves you with a lump in your throat and a smile on your face.”—BookPage

“The Book of Joe is a sweet, deft and sentimental coming-ofage-at-thirty-four story. . . . [Tropper’s] humor keeps his tale buoyant as Joe stumbles into maturity.”—New York Daily News

“Witty, tender and beautifully written. You really fall in love with Joe. By the end I wanted to have his babies!”—Sue Margolis, author of Losing Me

“There is so much to praise in this winner of a book about a loser of a man that I won’t waste my words. Read The Book of Joe and you too will laugh and cry (and cringe) as you watch Joe Goffman return to his hometown to make things right, only to make more and more of a mess for his family and friends—and more of a loveable jerk of himself. Like Richard Russo or Michael Chabon at their best.”—Rita Ciresi, author of Pink Slip and Remind Me Again Why I Married You

“The novel skillfully illustrates the tenderness and difficulties of first love and friendship. . . . Fans of Tom Perrotta’s sarcastic humor will appreciate Tropper’s evocation of both the allure and hypocrisy of small-town American life.”—Publishers Weekly

“Highly recommended . . . In the marvelously funny and self-deprecating voice of Joe, Tropper fully realizes his characters and tells their stories with poignancy, wit, and charm. This coming-of-age story is a keeper; fans of Tom Perrotta and Nick Hornby will enjoy.”—Library Journal

“Jonathan Tropper’s hilarious and heartbreaking novel The Book of Joe . . . [is] eloquent and meaningful . . . a worthwhile offering from an author who has the talent and market insight to pen a bestseller.”—Book Reporter

Jonathan Tropper is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including Everything Changes, This Is Where I Leave You, and One Last Thing Before I Go. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Tropper is the cocreator and executive producer of the television drama Banshee, as well as a screenwriter who adapted This Is Where I Leave You into a major motion picture.

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