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A review by katykelly
One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper
3.0
3.5 stars.
This reminded me of Jonathan Franzen's 'Freedom' as well as A. M. Homes' 'May We Be Forgiven'. A family drama exploring the nuances of a slightly eccentric family with issues, going through a time of crisis. So maybe it's because I've read similar things recently that mean I haven't rated it higher.
The 'issue' here is Silver's diagnosis of imminent death. Former rock star (one-hit wonder), now gone to seed, divorced, ageing.
Soon after being told by his estranged 18-year-old daughter that she is pregnant, he collapses and finds out he has an (operable) heart condition. He chooses not to have the surgery, in order not to revert to the deadbeat dad / terrible ex-husband he has been for several years. His family want him to change his mind.
I did enjoy this book. I've not read anything by this author before, and found him funny with some very realistic character creations. I did find some parts unrealistic though, how his family (whom he is supposed to have neglected) treat him at times just didn't feel right to me (I won't mention specifics as those would be spoilers for the story).
At the end, I finished and thought "right, what next?", so it just didn't hit the spot for me. I had been looking forward to it. There's nothing at all bad about it, I think it was just too similar to other recent reads to really stand out.
If you're a fan of the author, I'm sure you'll love it, as the other reviews are very positive. Sometimes a book just isn't right for you RIGHT NOW.
This reminded me of Jonathan Franzen's 'Freedom' as well as A. M. Homes' 'May We Be Forgiven'. A family drama exploring the nuances of a slightly eccentric family with issues, going through a time of crisis. So maybe it's because I've read similar things recently that mean I haven't rated it higher.
The 'issue' here is Silver's diagnosis of imminent death. Former rock star (one-hit wonder), now gone to seed, divorced, ageing.
Soon after being told by his estranged 18-year-old daughter that she is pregnant, he collapses and finds out he has an (operable) heart condition. He chooses not to have the surgery, in order not to revert to the deadbeat dad / terrible ex-husband he has been for several years. His family want him to change his mind.
I did enjoy this book. I've not read anything by this author before, and found him funny with some very realistic character creations. I did find some parts unrealistic though, how his family (whom he is supposed to have neglected) treat him at times just didn't feel right to me (I won't mention specifics as those would be spoilers for the story).
At the end, I finished and thought "right, what next?", so it just didn't hit the spot for me. I had been looking forward to it. There's nothing at all bad about it, I think it was just too similar to other recent reads to really stand out.
If you're a fan of the author, I'm sure you'll love it, as the other reviews are very positive. Sometimes a book just isn't right for you RIGHT NOW.