Everything Changes

Zack King is over 30. He has a job that pays well but that gives no satisfaction. He has a really rich friend, Jed, who lets him share his great house in Manhattan. He has an extremely beautiful (and rich) girlfriend who is about to become his fiancé. He has a brother who is a punk rock musician. He’s got another brother who is mentally challenged but to whom Zack is the greatest brother and friend. His best friend, Rael, died in a car crash two years earlier, which Zack survived. His best friend had an infant child named Sophie whom Zack visits frequently and delights. He even changes her diapers when called upon. Sophie’s mom is the all too gorgeous Tamara, who doesn’t deserve the grief she’s had to suffer. Fortunately Zack show more has been there throughout to help her with Sophie and with her loss of Rael. Oh, yes, and Zack has daddy issues due to an absconding father who left him and his brothers in the lurch when they were children. Needless to say, complications ensue.

Jonathan Tropper’s writing is always peppy and full of zing. His man-boy protagonist is always a real everyman (well, at least the kind of everyman we’d all like to be, right). He’s got problems. But his problems are mostly self-inflicted (how could they not be when you are as self-interested as Zack). And the solution when it comes is bound to be a violent overthrow of his self-image and the birth of his new self (because everything is really all about him, after all). And Zack will end up feeling mighty good about himself by the time we reach the end of the novel.

Very readable, high rate of box-ticking, feel-good narrative arc. Yet entirely unsatisfying. Read it on the beach, but leave it there for the tide to wash back out to sea. show less

Everything Changes is a book about a young man, Zack. He has a very beautiful fiancee, a very dysfunctional family, and lost his best friend in an accident. During the book, big changes are made in some of these aspects of his life after Zack finds blood in his urine. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It is both funny and tragic, Zack is a very likable guy, and the writing is quite good. Tropper's style reminds me a bit of Nick Hornby, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more of his books.

This story of absent fathers, fighting and urinary complaints was entertainment from start to finish. Right from the first chapter which demonstrates the author’s ability to sieve out what is boring and leave in what is interesting, the story unfolds in prose that seems effortlessly brilliant. It always seemed to go into a lengthy description of someone urinating just when I was reading it over breakfast, but what the hell. Just a great read.

I continue to be amazed at the storytelling skills of Jonathan Tropper. He has a human insight unreached by most other writers. He has an umatched ability for empathy and a sparkling, detailed imagination. This particular book is so ripe for moviedom, and is reminiscent of the classic ensemble movies of the 80s, with a maturation upgrade for the characters. This book is almost a masterpiece. Its only flaw is that there's some overdrama here. Too many over-the-top incidents. If a story takes place in our reality, then it needs to be grounded there. This does make it a fun read, however, and I recommend all of Tropper's work.

Loved the seamless mix of tones that these characters go through, sometimes shifting in thoughts and behavior sometimes even contrary to their better judgments had they not be so conflicted about how they feel or how they should behave. So much like real people living real lives, n'est pas?

To quote one of the main characters, this is "Erectile dysfunction of the soul."

I am listening to the audio of this book and find myself laughing as I drive my carpool. Jonathan Tropper is a funny guy and his characters are wonderful. Norman King is such a character.