Fleishman is in Trouble

[Peter]

So I just finished this book and I'm not really sure how I feel...

To start, it's a huge departure from the kind of book I typically read. It's a pseudo contemporary, romance, drama kind of mash up? I'm not really entirely sure what particular genre it would fall under. I came across it during last year's Goodreads awards and thought it sounded interesting despite being outside my usual selection.

Basically it's the story of a man going through a divorce told from the perspective of one of his friends but with the narrator's story sort of woven into it as well. It took me a little bit to pick up that the narrator was actually a character in the story too. It was interesting but as the story progressed, I found I really disliked all the characters. Like, they are all completely unlikeable. The main character starts off as sort of likeable but he quickly became irritating. I ended up just disliking them all because they were all so self centered and whiny and just generally cruel and awful people.

In the end, I found I liked the realizations the narrator came to by telling her friend's story. But I didn't particularly enjoy the way the story actually ended.

The characters are what did it in for me. They just all ended up being awful people. Except the main character's son. He was alright but he was also like 8 and only had a minor role.

Anyways, I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's thoughts on it if anyone else ends up reading it.

[Cheri]

I just finished the book today and was glad to see your thoughts. I agree with you about the characters, including initially liking Toby but getting increasingly irritated with him. The book seems to be about marriage and gender roles, and was kind of clever with Toby being, in some senses, somewhat like a traditional wife. But all the characters seemed to feel entitled and to be self-absorbed, and none of them communicated their feelings very well. All the whining drowned out some of the better points (and there were good points).

The writing was interesting - I liked the clickity-clack of it at first, but after awhile it felt too choppy and repetitive and became as irritating as the characters.

[Peter]

I agree, there definitely were some good points and there was a fair bit of humour in there as well. I laughed a few times. Entitled is a great description of the characters. Everyone of them. Toby seemed like a decent guy over his head at first but he turned out to be kind of a jerk in the end.

The commentary on gender roles and society's views of those roles was done well throughout. I think I was frustrated by the ending because despite the growth, realizations and insight the characters got, by the end of the book they were all just horrible people and then it was like everything Toby and Rachel learned about themselves and their relationship just went out the window. I didn't see the motivation or reasons for the ending.

[Cheri]

Yes, the ending just happened, and I couldn't really see why either. It also switched focus, so that the narrator was the main character at the end. In some ways I guess she was central all along since she was telling the story, but it felt like she was telling Toby and Rachel's stories more than her own. And as far as her own story goes, we hear next to nothing about her husband's response when she stays in the city or goes out late. His reaction is briefly mentioned, but not explored. Why wouldn't that be as big a story as Rachel and Toby's?

Thanks for starting this thread, Peter. It's great to have the chance to share ideas about the book.

[Peter]

Cheri wrote: "Yes, the ending just happened, and I couldn't really see why either. It also switched focus, so that the narrator was the main character at the end. In some ways I guess she was central all along s..."

Totally agree - the ending just happened. I felt like there wasn't really a whole lot of resolution for Toby and Rachel's story or the issues between them.

I agree that the narrator's story became more central as the book progressed. I did really like the insights she learned about herself and her own relationship after seeing Toby and Rachel's play out. I thought that was well done in that the narrator was able to learn from other people's mistakes. I would hazard a guess that the author was using Toby and Rachel's story to way of alluding to where the narrator could end up, but then she was able to learn some solid life lessons by reflecting on their issues. It does seem like a part of the story was left out though because as the narrator became more central, there wasn't the same depth or background to her as there was with Toby and Rachel.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

This was a Book of the Month club add on this month, and I was debating about getting it because I've heard such good things about it. Glad I read your discussions because I feel like I would agree on this!