The Book of Joe

A Novel

By: Jonathan Tropper

Narrated by: Tom Cavanagh

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.©2004 Jonathan Trooper; (P)2004 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"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. .... [Tropper's] humor keeps his tale buoyant."
--The Daily News (NY)

"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

So well written

I am taken with J Trotter ' writing style, so my opinion is biased toward him - he is dark and funny and real. Loved everything about this book. Wish I would've been a little more warned about the sad shocks in the storyline - wound up crying in the bathroom getting through the last half and scurrying off to be alone to finish it.
So worth the read, if you like full, loving, angry, giving, holistic stories.

A good read

Good story and Tom Cavanagh fits the tone and style of the main character perfectly.

First time

The first book i’ve ever finished listening to. it was so good. the performance and story was so moving.