How to Talk to a Widower

Tropper, Jonathan

ISBN 10: 1423328434 ISBN 13: 9781423328438

Publisher: Brilliance Audio, 2007

Synopsis

Doug Parker is a widower at age twenty-nine, and in his quiet suburban town, that makes him something of a celebrity – the object of sympathy, curiosity, and, in some cases, unbridled desire. But Doug has other things on his mind. First there’s his sixteen-year-old stepson, Russ: a once-sweet kid who now is getting into increasingly serious trouble on a daily basis. Then there are Doug’s sisters: his bossy twin, Claire, who’s just left her husband and moved in with Doug, determined to rouse him from his grieving stupor. And Debbie, who’s engaged to Doug’s ex-best friend and maniacally determined to pull off the perfect wedding at any cost. Soon Doug’s entire nuclear family is in his face. And when he starts dipping his toes into the shark-infested waters of the second-time-around dating scene, it isn’t long before his new life is spinning hopelessly out of control, cutting a harrowing and often hilarious swath of sexual missteps and escalating chaos across the suburban landscape. Funny, sexy, and smart, How to Talk to a Widower is a novel about finding your way, even when you have no idea where it is you want to go.

About this title

About the Author:

Jonathan Tropper is the author of Everything Changes, The Book of Joe, which was a Book Sense selection, and Plan B. He lives with his wife, Elizabeth, and their children in Westchester, New York, where he teaches writing at Manhattanville College. How to Talk to a Widower was optioned by Paramount Pictures, and Everything Changes and The Book of Joe are also in development as feature films. Jonathan can be contacted through his website at www.jonathantropper.com.

From AudioFile:

Doug Parker, slim, beautiful, sad, is a 29-year-old widower, passing his days in whiskey-soaked suburban seclusion. (Hailey, his wife, was killed the year before in a plane crash.) But his seclusion is disrupted by a bizarre cast of interfering characters--mostly family. Narrator Eric Ruben seems to have the most fun with the secondary characters--Dougs 16-year-old screwed-up pothead stepson, Russ; his foul-mouthed pregnant twin, Claire, who moves in with him; and his demented but well-meaning father. Doug himself sounds less interesting, a bit wimpy. The pace is slow, particularly in the remembrances of Hailey, but picks up in the humorous interactions with the do-gooder torturers. The ending is predictably sappy, but, overall, this is an enjoyable story. M.T.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1423328434
• ISBN 13: 9781423328438
• Binding: Audio CD