One Last Thing Before I Go: A Novel

After reading the sample I was hooked. The characters were well developed and the plot worked for me. I honestly did not anticipate the end and what a surprise it was.

While not great literature it was the kind of book you want to sit by yourself and read from page one to the end.

This book will make you laugh and cry, and many times you will find yourself doing both at the same time. It's a fun and quick read that makes you remember what truly is important in life and how bad choices can separate you from that .

This was an entertaining book, I enjoyed reading it. Funny and moving at times, it follows the story of a middle-aged former one-hit-wonder drummer who finds out he could be dead soon and the changes it causes him to make in his life. I would recommend it.

I loved this book. Tropper has a way of phrasing things that makes me want to read almost every sentence out loud to whoever is sitting near me and say, "LISTEN TO THIS!" He is the master of the broken-male-protaganist, but also writes fantastic female characters. He makes me want to be a better writer.

You won't regret buying this book! I plan to foist it on everyone for Christmas this year.

I thought the author captured the breathtaking loneliness of the character. The book didn't have as many belly laughs as This is where i leave you, but he manages to write in a way that makes the character funny and sad at the same time.

At first blush I thought this book was rather silly. I only continued to read it because it was my Book Club book for the month. By the end, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions, cringing with embarrassment for the characters and almost tearful at a few parts. The book had a lot to say about our journeys through life. Things don't always go how we think they should or how we want them to.

This has everything that makes it feel like a classic Tropper novel -- honesty, humor, embarrassing situations, poignancy, and a flawed but likable protagonist. Immensely readable. If only he could churn out books faster ...

Good, but not my favorite of his. The character is such a hot mess he was hard to sympathize with or relate to. However, still some classic Tropper moments. He is still a gifted writer and one of my favorites.

Jonathan Tropper's books are an enjoyable reliable read for those of us of a certain age. They are funny in a bittersweet sort of way, but they're just good stories about recognizable types. A more "literary" fiction than a beach read, but just as readable on the beach.

I've never read anything by this author before and I very much enjoyed this book and then immediately read more by him. I laughed out loud at times and at other times felt incredibly sad for the characters. All the characters were believable and human. Give this one a shot. You won't be sorry!

I am a huge fan of Jonathan Tropper's novels, having read all of them. I was very excited about the prospect of reading another book but felt that this one wasn't up to par, especially his last one, This Is Where I Leave You.

It was a slog to get through, the plot wasn't very exciting and the ending was predictible and disappointing.
I expected more.

Huge fan of Jonathon Tropper. Love his characters, so full of flaws. Liked the concept of the main character's plight, if you will. Don't we all wish we could say and do what we are really thinking?

I read this book because our book club chose it. It was not my taste at all, and lots of the situations were not ones I would condone. There were moments of cleverness, but overall, it would not be one I would ever recommend.

I consider myself a huge Tropper fan but I was disappointed with this book. The main character was such an idiot I found the story line to lack credibility. ...definitely not Tropper's best work; no Rabbi father would put up with such antics! If I elect to read his next book it will be via library as he has to regain my faith before I won't invest any more money in his books.

'For those of you who enjoyed reading his style of writing, bully for you. However, I found myself wanting to put it down and walk away but thought "No", I'll keep going and see if it gets any batter. By the end I was most sorry I'd ever purchased this book and wasted my time. Sure, there were some interesting moments in there but not enough to make me ever want to purchase another book by this author. This book simply rambled on and you never knew when he was supposedly thinking these thoughts to himself or when he was verbalizing something that didn't make sense. Yes, this man's life was a mess and he made a lot of poor decisions but there seems to me that a little more clarity in portraying that life could have made the book far more interesting. And the ending...are you trying to set the reader up for a sequel. I hope not.

One of the author's worst by far. Although I haven't read all of his works yet, and was planning to, this book may put me off of him for a while. The constant whining and inability of the characters to make decisions or act upon anything, made for a dull story. I would even go so far as to say that the author didn't make me care about his characters; even hating the characters would have been better than the lethargy I felt toward these folks. Just as I was starting to care what might happen next in their lives, the book ended; quite unremarkably!

This book was chosen by my book club because we liked his last book. " this is where I leave you". This book was very disappointing for me to read. I'm just not a fan of middle age male angst. The story seemed very contrived. Maybe it will make a funny movie, I don't think I rill read tripper again.

There is gross profanity on virtually every page of this book. It's a shame because the author has great insight into people and is gifted at bringing his characters to life, and the story is very true-to-life and wonderfully told. But the foul language and some gross images are completely distracting. The only reason I finished the book is I had grown to care about the characters.

I am a huge Jonathan Tropper fan and to be honest my biggest regret is that he doesn't publish books more often. But when he does come out with a new book, I immediately purchase it and set aside time to read it in one sitting because that is how good his books are. "One Last Thing Before I Go" doesn't disappoint. It very much follows Tropper's other novels in that it focuses on the life of a man pretty much down on his self-made luck who has made more mistakes that you can count in a lifetime and is not determining the path forward.

Here we are introduced to Drew Silver--a former rock star (drummer) whose band broke up many years ago and whose marriage followed soon after. He has been living at an apartment complex filled with divorced and separated men. His ex-wife Denise has been living with a doctor and is close to getting remarried while his only daughter Casey is about to go off to Princeton and finds out that her quick summer fling has resulted in her being pregnant. And if that is not enough, "Silver" as he is called by everyone one day blacks out and when he awakes finds out that he has a heart condition that if not operated on soon will cause him to die--his doctor by the way is Denise's beau. The story follows a somewhat predictable but incredibly fast-paced road that focuses on Silver's decision to have or not have this surgery. He is to a large extent fed up with his current life and is just as happy to die and end it as he is to continue it.

This book gives the reader detailed insight into the life of single, divorced men, the struggles they and their families go through, and how they all cope. I was moved by the scenes showing Silver and Casey trying to figure out how to live together as daughter and father after so many years of his absence from traditional family life. There were some heart-wrenching (and cringe worthy) scenes where Silver's sickness gets the best of him and he starts mumbling out loud thoughts that were better left in his head.

I strongly recommend Tropper's latest book and have a hard time believing it would not be considered for the New York Times Notable Books of 2012.

There is gross profanity on virtually every page of this book. It's a shame because the author has great insight into people and is gifted at bringing his characters to life, and the story is very true-to-life and wonderfully told. But the foul language and some gross images are completely distracting. The only reason I finished the book is I had grown to care about the characters.

I am a huge Jonathan Tropper fan and to be honest my biggest regret is that he doesn't publish books more often. But when he does come out with a new book, I immediately purchase it and set aside time to read it in one sitting because that is how good his books are. "One Last Thing Before I Go" doesn't disappoint. It very much follows Tropper's other novels in that it focuses on the life of a man pretty much down on his self-made luck who has made more mistakes that you can count in a lifetime and is not determining the path forward.

Here we are introduced to Drew Silver--a former rock star (drummer) whose band broke up many years ago and whose marriage followed soon after. He has been living at an apartment complex filled with divorced and separated men. His ex-wife Denise has been living with a doctor and is close to getting remarried while his only daughter Casey is about to go off to Princeton and finds out that her quick summer fling has resulted in her being pregnant. And if that is not enough, "Silver" as he is called by everyone one day blacks out and when he awakes finds out that he has a heart condition that if not operated on soon will cause him to die--his doctor by the way is Denise's beau. The story follows a somewhat predictable but incredibly fast-paced road that focuses on Silver's decision to have or not have this surgery. He is to a large extent fed up with his current life and is just as happy to die and end it as he is to continue it.

This book gives the reader detailed insight into the life of single, divorced men, the struggles they and their families go through, and how they all cope. I was moved by the scenes showing Silver and Casey trying to figure out how to live together as daughter and father after so many years of his absence from traditional family life. There were some heart-wrenching (and cringe worthy) scenes where Silver's sickness gets the best of him and he starts mumbling out loud thoughts that were better left in his head.

I strongly recommend Tropper's latest book and have a hard time believing it would not be considered for the New York Times Notable Books of 2012.

Silver (we learn his first name early) but people only call him by his last name is a man whose prime time of life has passed him by. A song writer and drummer who was a one hit wonder has been in the doldrums for close to a decade after his divorce and estrangement from his daughter and very little contact with other family members. The description of the Versailles and its residents (almost all depressed divorced men) is amusing but doesn't quite ring true. Rather than rebuilding their lives, they are portrayed as all losers kicked out of their homes by their ex-wives. They feed after each others loser tendencies and can't seem to change unless dire circumstances like failing health happen to them.
The book keeps getting better and better as it goes along becoming a page turner in the last 100 pages. Tropper writes with an engaging style. It's sometimes hard to empathize with Silver as he seems determined to screw up his life.

Silver is forty-four, a former drummer with the one-hit-wonder band, The Bent Daisies. After the front man/vocalist, Pat Mcreedy, left them and went solo, they tanked, dried up, and disbanded. Now Silver is a notch above broke, and his ex-wife, Denise, is about to get married to the doctor who wants to perform life-saving surgery on him. But Silver is about the most passively suicidal guy you may meet in fiction.

Barely scraping by, Silver lives on his royalty checks from the song, "Rest in Pieces," or plays Bar Mitzvahs and weddings, when he can get a gig. Mcreedy's career is epic and glitzy, and he sleeps with sexy celebrities. Silver hangs out with a group of losers in the tatty Versailles apartments, where they scope out young daisies in bikinis and nod off at the pool. In between, they make weekly deposits at the sperm bank to supplement their income.

Tropper has a knack for combining flippant with rueful to achieve sharp and piercing. His leading men are Jewish, middle-aged, overweight, and emotionally adolescent. This book and the last one--This is Where I Leave You-- have titles that underscore absence, departing, and abandonment. There's as much death cloud as sex haze in the atmosphere. But there's at least one compelling reason to keep Silver onward through the fog. Or is there?

The only person who seems to need Silver right now is his eighteen-year-old daughter, Casey. But only because she's afraid of disappointing her mother with the news that she's pregnant. So she tells her dad, whom she sometimes calls Dad, but often calls Silver. She's a combination of spiky and vulnerable, and her presence makes you root for Silver to wake up from his numbed slumber and be the strong and able support that she needs. The scenes with Casey are often the most tender and fragile.

"Mom and Rich got me a G35 for my graduation."
"That was nice of them."
"Mom's still compensating for you. I milk it a little."
"I would. Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Why'd you come to me?"
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"I care less about letting you down."

This isn't the side-splitting, laugh-out-loud humor of the last book, but is just as witty and cinematic. The movie rights have already been spoken for, which may bother some readers--that it has a filmic presence to it. (I think of an Adam Sandler type, perhaps). However, the snappy dialogue and supple visuals are fresh and acute with its bent sense of humor. Silver keeps accidentally thinking out loud, which may be the most gimmicky aspect, although it is nuanced gimmick, if you will. There's a hint of customized formula, but with an edge to it, and some loose ends that feel right.

My husband and I have an eighteen-year-old daughter, and--don't shudder--we found aspects of this book therapeutic and and highly relatable. It's madcap at times, improbable, and sometimes too clever. And yet...and yet...it's about ordinary people trying to redeem themselves, to make sense of their place in the world, confront their shame and cowardice, and to love their children without too much toxic spillover. Sometimes we need a mop and a bucket to clean up our messes--and a spark from a quick, funny, savage, messy, poignant yarn about a guy who thinks out loud.
4.5 stars rounded up

I read this book while on vacation, and it was the perfect choice for me. A book written in such a simple style that you find yourself breezing through it, despite the somewhat dark topics it discusses.

Silver, an ex-band member with a one hit wonder, is old, divorced, and a terrible father to his teenage daughter Casey. His wife is about to get married, and his daughter just informed him that she's pregnant. Silver, a great drummer, now resorts to entertaining at weddings and bar mitzvahs. His daughter's declaration brings out a paternal instinct that's been lying dormant for many years, and also a whole load of guilt and regret at his neglect. However, soon after, he has a stroke and is informed that he will die if he does not perform a certain surgery that could save him. Silver, in his great wisdom, refuses to have the surgery and chooses to die instead, giving himself this opportunity to make up for his mistakes. Well, ATTEMPT to make up for his mistakes. All he seems capable of is making more mistakes. His relationship with his daughter is bumpy at best. One minute they're getting along, the next minute he's disappointing her once again. His relationship with his ex-wife also has its ups and downs. Even his parents come into the picture to try and talk some sense into him, and I loved the relationship between him and his father. Then there's the relationship between him and his two old friends who live with him in the same compound.

It was such a fun read seeing Silver's journey, but it was also quite painful. The best part is the fact that he could not keep his thoughts to himself any longer due to his condition. He is constantly getting himself in trouble by not being able to stop himself from saying things he shouldn't be saying out loud.

I appreciated the ending most, the fact that you're not entirely sure what happened in the end. Jonathan Tropper chooses to keep it open ended, allowing us to choose how we would like it go. I definitely know how I'd imagine it all went down, but then again, I'm a sucker for happy endings.

A great pool-side read.

One Last Thing Before I Go is the story of Drew Silver, a former famous drummer for a long dismantled rock band who produced a one hit wonder. Now divorced and living in the saddest of apartment buildings, the Versailles, a wayward place for divorced men biding their time in a limbo of their own making. Silver now makes his living playing is wedding bands. His ex wife is about to marry a surgeon, and his daughter Casey chooses him to confide her recent pregnancy. Oh, and he has just found out that he needs emergency surgery to save his heart. Silver impulsively decides to forgo the surgery that will save his life and embarks on a misguided mission to become a better man, a better son, and a better father. The trouble is that his nature always leaned toward doing wrong by those he loves most. The harder Silver tries to make amends amd repair relationships, the more he struggles.

I had read one of Tropper's earlier novels and loved it and so jumped at the opportunity to read and review this one. Tropper does not disappoint as his wry humor shines through once again. I was pleased to discover with One Last Thing Before I Go that what attracted me to Tropper's writing the first time was also firing on all cylinders this time around.

Silver remains throughout the book, a lovable yet inexplicable character. Those who know him best would agree. He questions whether his life is worth saving and comes up short even as those around him, including his ex wife and her fiance, are convinced his life is worth saving in spite of his many shortcomings and embarrassing habit of blurting out whatever comes to mind outing some extremely personal secrets.

The author gives a very funny, witty, and brutally honest acccount of middle aged malehood. Silver's closest friends provide an ongoing humorous reel that any man or woman of a certain age living in todays society can relate to. I found the book hilarious in spite of its serious subject matter and that is due to Tropper's talent as a writer and humorist. There were a couple of significant inconsistencies within the text that should have been caught by the editor. On page 150 there is a scene involving Denise trying on wedding gowns. "The first time she got married her mother had accompanied her to her first fitting in this very bridal shop." Later on page 173, we learn that Denise's mother died when she was 13. It is doubtful that Denise was getting married at that age. Also on page 150, the scene mentions Denise's father who has died. She and her mother were "missing her father, who had died a few years earlier." On page 303, Denise's dead father is a guest at her second wedding? There was also one scene on page 97 that did not flow correctly. It is during a confrontation between Silver and Denise's fiance that had me questioning why Silver was seemingly waiting for Rich at his and Denise's home when his real intention was to talk with his ex wife who was apparently already in the house. Read the scene and you'll see what I mean. It may have been an oversight or perhaps I am missing something. There was also a reference to an old Twilight Zone episode on page 134 that Silver watched as a kid, which would mean that it was the original series, that doesn't exist, at least not the way he explained it in the book.

One Last Thing Before I Go is ultimately a story about redemption and love. It is told with overwhelming humor and a warmth that makes you root for the main character in all his fumbling ineptitude. The editing process should have been more finely tuned however I highly recommend this fast moving and laugh-out-loud novel.

I ask this, after reading and thoroughly enjoying How to Talk to a Widower about a young, grieving husband getting past his loss; This is Where I Leave You, about a family of adult siblings sitting shiva for their father; and now One Last Thing Before I Go. Rest assured, "go" is euphemistic. The character of Silver at the heart of this novel is planning to "go" in the most permanent sense imaginable.

Drew Silver, addressed only by his surname by all who know him, is a screw-up. Years ago, he was the drummer for the Bent Daisies, a one-hit wonder band, but his rock-n-roll days are far behind him. Now, in his early 40's, he scrapes by playing the occasional wedding or studio gig. He's been divorced for years, and is almost entirely estranged from his 18 year-old-daughter. There is no one he hasn't disappointed, over and over again. Still, it is Silver that Casey turns to when she finds herself pregnant and afraid to tell her mother. Trying, for once, to be there for her, Silver takes her to a clinic for a quickie abortion, but before anything can happen, he collapses in the waiting room.

At the hospital, Silver is seen by Rich, the nice-guy cardiologist who's about to marry Denise, Silver's ex (who he still loves) and Casey's mom. Thank God they caught it in time! Silver's aorta is tearing, a dissecting aneurysm, usually diagnosed when the patient drops dead. With surgery, Silver will be as good as new. Except, Silver doesn't want the surgery. He has no illusions about his life. Enough is enough. No heroic measures, thank you.

The remainder of the novel encompasses the reactions of the people in Silver's life as they either deal with the decision he's made and/or try to talk him into having the surgery. Along the way, Casey tries to decide whether or not to have the baby, Denise and Rich prepare for their wedding, and Silver, who is having mini-strokes at this point, blurts out whatever comes into his head. Ah, it's that patented Tropper blend of comedy and tragedy. He's so good at it.

That said, as enjoyable as One Last Thing Before I Go was, it's not quite on par with Tropper's very best. I found some of the center of the book to be somewhat repetitive with Silver reflecting upon his mistakes, loved ones trying to change his mind, and Silver blurting out inappropriate comments at exactly the wrong moment. Don't get me wrong, it was never boring, but there was only so far that Mr. Tropper could go with the tale.

What works perfectly are Mr. Tropper's wonderful, flawed characters, in this entirely character-driven story. It's all but impossible not to feel for them, and to root for all of them to get a happy ending, no matter how improbable. The novel is touching and funny and everything I'd expect from Jonathan Tropper. And I thought the end was perfect.

Incidentally, I asked Mr. Tropper about his preoccupation with death when he came through San Francisco. He responded that "Everything's about death. To some extent... The clock of your mortality is what moves you... The whole pressure is that you don't have forever to get it right anymore." And there's the drama at the heart of this comedy.

To be frank, Jonathan Tropper’s “One Last Thing Before I Go” is a read of mindless pleasure, at best. With little character development coupled with repetitive tropes and stereotypes, easy diction and syntax, and a plot that could be found almost anywhere due to the comically corny situations and dialogue, Tropper’s literary work is less than groundbreaking.
Compared to his previous novel, “This Is Where I Leave You”, Tropper’s use of characters seems to take a significant decline in development. His use of typical archetypes, such as protagonist Drew Silver’s “one-hit-wonder rockstar whose family disintegrated due to his consistent absence” and his daughter Casey’s “teenage girl, originating from a broken family, rebels and finds herself pregnant in college” is a prime example of shallow characterization. Similar to the majority of the main characters, all other characters possess lives of little context and possess unrealistic characteristics from that of even a typical person, such as Lily, who after noticing Silver sneakily watching her perform at a library, decides to sing the only hit song of Silver’s career as a rockstar; after having a single conversation with him, she decides to go out on a date. Another example would be that of Rich, a flourishing doctor and fiancee to Silver’s ex-wife, Denise, essentially the personification of the “perfect guy”. The absence of character background and development perpetuates the question of, “Well, how did we get here?”, with the only feasible exception being Casey, whose background is interpreted from her being the product of a broken family, but she inevitably falls into the stereotype of an emotional, one-dimensional, pregnant, teenage girl struggling with the divorce of her parents.
The essential premise of the plotline follows Silver’s life-threatening condition and his refusal to undergo surgery to correct it, all while juggling the self-pity he possess regarding how terrible he perceives his life to be. This deadly circumstance prompts him to reconnect with his broken family as well as attempting to repair the self-image he has made due to his mistakes, after his daughter Casey returns in his life to inform him of her pregnancy, to which she says he is the person that she cares the least about letting down with the news. This leads to his reunion with his ex-wife Denise and, later, with his own brother and mother. However, the problems with the story generates from the overall writing of the events. The characteristically humorous back-and-forth between Silver and other characters becomes the highlight of the book as a whole, as the rest of the novel is filled with Silver’s cheesy declarations of love for the more important people in his life such as Denise and Casey in such cheap ways and the graphic descriptions of the gratuitous sex scenes and references that permeate almost every other page of the novel.
Despite the flaws in the novel, as mentioned previously, there are some positive aspects of the story. If you can bypass the frequent, detailed sexual situations and the overall cliches, the novel can be very comical and amusing in Tropper’s description of situations, especially in that of the cheesy moments and, as stated in Clare Swanson’s review on Bookpage, Tropper accurately captures and commands the male perspective on much of the situations in the novel. Overall, if you are seeking something light to spend your time with and dissecting a dense piece of literature is not a top priority for you, “One Last Thing Before I Go” can most likely satisfy your desires.

Jonathan Tropper totally gets it. With a quick scene, he can encapsulate the thought process, the emotions, the awkwardness, the bizarreness and the scope of some random occurrence in life. It's like having a sports color man broadcaster alongside you, explaining what's really going on behind the scenes.

This not your typical Tropper book. The others, Book of Joe, How Talk to a Widower, This is Where I Leave you, et. al, are more fun, more quirky and light. This one is pretty dark and bitter. The humor is based more upon shortcomings, failures and loss. I tried reading this when it came out two years ago and didn't like it. I guess i was spoiled by Tropper's earlier stuff and was looking for more of the same.

But I read it again, stayed with it and found it amazing. The premise is simple: Silver is dying of an aortic valve leak. He doesn't want to have the surgery and instead debates about if he should just wait and die. The book is his attempt at correcting the dysfunction he's created with his ex-wife, her soon to be new husband and his daughter.

Tropper's writing is amazing, too. At first, I found myself not liking Silver at all. When you read of characters that you don't care about, it makes for rough fiction reading. However, he grew on me. Yes, he is a loser. All of Tropper's characters are losers in some form. It's what provides the conflict that drives the novel. But, we can relate to Silver as we read on. He has a heart, albeit torn both emotionally and physically; he tears up when his daughter calls him "Dad," he has friends who are as dysfunctional as he - we all do the Birds of a Feather Flocking when finding our own friend.

There is some forced drama in One Last Thing. Lots of times Silver finds himself crying without realizing he's doing so. Tropper writes with a pacing that leads to these discoveries almost in a cinematic way and after a bit, it almost hits the reader in the head. It's like, Warning: Emotional scene ahead followed by Chapter break. But once you immerse yourself into the story, those things become more realistic and I found they enhance the scenes that Tropper's aiming at.

Some have complained about the ending in these reviews. Without spoiling, I felt it was perfect. Not everything in the real world is simple. Can't say anymore, just that Tropper's ending really sums up the life that he is conveying in this book.

Again, he gets it. He knows of nuances, he knows of how people over observe and analyze the smallest things and he writes it brilliantly. His books are so good that when you finish reading one, you don't want to read a different book for a while because you fear you'll destroy the literary buzz you got from reading one of his.

I love Jonathan Tropper's writing. I love the way he strings words together, and puts ideas together, and is able to look inside people and see what makes them tick. I like his writing enough that when I finish reading his books, I go back and reread entire sections just to continue to enjoy the writing. That's what I did with this one.

And yet.... and yet.... this story didn't grab me as much as his previous books. For the first half of the book, I felt like I was reading about a loser. Silver, the main character, was a loser not because he'd had setbacks in his life, but because he still had the potential to accomplish something in his life, yet he'd given up. He lived in an apartment for losers. His friends were losers. They lived sad sack lives. And his daughter, Casey, even being a teenager -- and a teenager with a mouth and an attitude -- seemed unnecessarily mean to her father, loving him when she felt like it and turning on him when she didn't. These were not likable characters.

Fortunately, the second half of the book returned to the five-star status that I've become accustomed to with Tropper's books. The relationships among the key characters became more intriguing: Silver's ex-wife is engaged to a doctor who just happens to be Silver's doctor, at a time when Silver is in desperate need for surgery to save his life. It sounds serious, and it is, but Tropper has a way of making even serious circumstances fun and often funny.

I look forward to reading (and rereading) Tropper's next book as much as I always have. Even when the story doesn't quite work for me, as in this case, his writing always does. There aren't many authors I can say that about.

Both of the Jonathan Tropper books I've read have been about men in crises. In this one, Drew Silver had his moment in the sun as the drummer of a one-hit-wonder rock band. Their claim to fame is the song "Rest in Pieces," and now, ironically, Silver has opted to let nature take its course rather than have the surgery required to fix his aorta, which may blow up at any moment. He's a middle-aged doughboy of a screw-up, feels that he's squandered every chance he's had to make something of his life, and deems himself incapable of making the necessary improvements. His ex-wife is on the verge of marrying a much better man, but his 18-year-old daughter confides in him that she's newly pregnant. What really causes chaos, though, since his aortic malfunction, is that he unintentionally verbalizes his every thought, exposing secrets and indiscretions at inappropriate times to unsuspecting listeners. One could argue that this naked honesty is a good thing, but really, some things are better left unsaid. I love this author, with his snappy dialog and quirky characters, including the other residents of the Versailles, a sort of long-term hotel for divorced men, where nubile college girls inexplicably come to hang out by the pool. I didn't say it was realistic. On the other hand, I can well imagine this guy, who has been a rotten father and husband and has let himself go, as still being undeservedly lovable. Offering a glimpse of redemption is fellow musician Lori, perhaps equally as lonely and unfulfilled as Silver, who sings and plays the guitar for children at the library. Some may say that the novel hangs on Silver's decision to have or not have the life-saving surgery that he needs. I say that the real question is will he or will he not ever get the courage to approach Lori.

If you like books where the message is expertly intertwined with humor, then “One Last Thing Before I Go” by Jonathan Tropper is for you. All books try to deliver messages to their readers. “One Last Thing Before I Go” is unique in that the message is bolstered by its synergy with Tropper’s literary style—approachable everyday language & witty jokes. The witty jokes keep the novel interesting. They keep the momentum of the reader going. Along the way, Tropper weaves serious themes about family and appreciating what one has that will touch anyone who completes the novel. However, if you are looking for a book that will “transform” your worldview or the next great American novel, then “One Last Thing Before I Go” is probably not what you’re looking for. If you want a book that’s fun to read, but has more literary merit to it than “One Last Thing Before I Go,” try reading “Station 11.”
Tropper creates a story that is relatable to anyone; the story of one character’s fall from fame and grace and their painful journey to redemption. The plot in “One Last Thing Before I Go” depicts the redemption journey of Silver. He’ll have to overcome many obstacles if he is to find a reason to live. You’ll witness his attempts to rectify his teetering relationship with daughter and his love for his ex-wife who’s about to remarry as he questions whether or not he should go through with a surgery that will fix the ticking time bomb in his heart. While this isn’t literally applicable to all readers, everyone should be able to relate and reflect. Whether it's getting back in touch with distant friends or rekindling a spark with a significant other; the story of redemption is relatable to anyone.
Tropper’s one-dimensional and generic characters can sometimes be distracting. For example, Silver’s friend group is a hodgepodge of quirky people, but they don’t enhance the story. Silver’s friend Oliver, has a story that could enhance Silver’s journey, but Oliver’s story isn’t developed enough. Oliver only serves to tease the reader of a story that could’ve been. In other instances, Tropper’s characters can be so generic as to be predictable. In one scene where Silver’s daughter is interacting with her boyfriend, everything that the boyfriend does is painfully predictable. However, Tropper’s characters have some redeeming traits. When they aren’t detracting from the story or being predictable, they help the reader ease into the story and fill in any gaps with their imagination. Tropper creates an everyday family that can be realized by any of the readers. There’s Silver, a dad who’s hasn’t been a good father in years; Casey, a daughter who’s succeeded in life without much support; and Denise, a mom who’s been torn between her love for Silver and another man. This dysfunctional family serves to remind the reader of the importance of family in life. It serves to remind the reader to cherish the relationships they have because it can definitely get worse as evidenced by Silver’s saga in this novel.
In summary Tropper’s latest novel might not be a philosophy altering great work of writing, but it still offers a fun story that leaves readers pondering about their possessions. For those readers who read the novel all the way through, the wit and humor is entertaining throughout the novel. This opinion is also similar to Rob Brunner’s review on Entertainment Weekly. Brunners also acknowledges that “One Last Thing Before I Go” “doesn’t match This Is Where I Leave You’s gut-punch exploration of family and failure.” However, Brunner also reaches the conclusion that “One Last Thing Before I Go” is “still a bristling, witty tale of woe that’ll make you appreciate whatever good things, no matter how few, have come your way.” If you’re looking for a fun “beach read,” the jokes don’t go stale, the plot doesn’t slow down, and the pages just keep turning in Jonathan Tropper’s “One Last Thing Before I Go.”

Jonathan Tropper’s One Last Thing Before I Go, is a great, funny, emotionally active beach read of a novel. It centers around Drew Silver, a divorced, part time drummer and father who used to be a “famous” songwriter and drummer in a one hit wonder. Silver’s sad life (everyone, even his ex-wife and estranged daughter, calls him Silver) goes from bad to worse upon learning that he has a damaged aorta at risk of rupturing and killing him. Refusing to have lifesaving surgery (that would be performed by his ex-wife’s fiancé) and facing his impending death, Silver takes the time to improve his life by being a better father, a better man and falling in love. He then takes the opportunity to reconnect to his Princeton bound 18-year old daughter who has just reached out to him to tell him she is pregnant.
The genius of Mr. Tropper’s novel is not in the situation in which the character’s find themselves, but in the ways they cope with their predicaments and how they interact with the people around them. Just as in his other novel, This is Where I Leave You, Mr. Tropper truly shines in his character development and humor. Just as Judd’s internal dialog with himself in This is Where I Leave You contains much of the development and humor, Silver’s thoughts do the same. This is amplified by Silver’s occasional “mini-strokes” that releases his ‘inner dialog’ in the form of oblivious narration of his mind that all around him hear.
While Silver is definitely the key part of the humor that gives One Last Thing Before I Go most of its charm and makes it fun to read, the most well-crafted part of the novel is Silver’s daughter Casey. Casey is the most well developed character of the book, and probably the most interesting. Clearly damaged (or at least not whole) from the absence of her father in her life, Casey still comes out as the smartest, and most practical character in the novel. To Silver’s surprise (and maybe in spite of him), she is the most well-adjusted to society in the novel. Ironically, it is her one mistake (of getting knocked-up by the neighbor’s son) that sets the plot in motion. Whether because she doesn’t care as much about upsetting Silver as she does her mother, or because she needs her father for once, or even for other reasons, Casey tells Silver of her situation and no one else. Casey becomes the novel’s most real character. As Silver becomes a caricature of a screw-up, and his ex-wife, Denise, emerges as the quintessential ex-wife who still cares for her ex-husband, only Casey stays unique and real. This is not to say that Silver and Denise are poorly formed characters. Far from it. It is just that Casey clearly rises above. Readers can pity and sympathize with Silver and Denise at different points, but it is Casey that is relatable (maybe not in the sense of facing a teen pregnancy, but in the sense of facing a somewhat broken family).
One Last Thing Before I Go is a story about disappointment – disappointment in life; disappointment in fathers; disappointment in husbands; and disappointment in children. While Janet Maslin of the New York Times seems to think the novel centers around whether Silver WILL live or die, it is more accurately about whether Silver SHOULD live or die. It is about whether he can reclaim his life and be happy again, or whether he is doomed to continue his sad existence.
The novel might be a little confusing at times for readers not familiar with Jewish life cycle events (much of Silver interaction with his father, a Rabbi, take place around these events), One Last Thing Before I Go is a good, fun and easy read. At times, it is a bit heavy on sex as a character defining device, but the novel’s overarching charm, humor and life message shine through. If you are looking for a quick read that can make you laugh and cry (sometimes simultaneously), you can find it in Tropper’s novel.

Tropper takes this novel and brings you through a try hard experience of a tear jerker. If you are looking for a book wherein afterwards you can analyze the meaning afterwards, this is not your novel. However, if you are searching for a more general novel, with enjoyment based mostly on how you personally can relate, this is your novel. It is a satisfying read in the sense that it is an easy read. Though Tropper is accredited as a New York Times bestseller, when I compare it to other novels of the same genre, it is an easier, and fluffier read.
Weak parts of the book I found are when Tropper throws in side ambiguous characters to try and brighten the book’s plot. The only thing this achieves is bringing to surface flat characters whose only purpose is to be present in Silver’s life. This made the book less realistic for me as characters are bound to have more depth in the real world.
The book centers around the character Silver. Silver is a living representation of a one hit wonder; he and his band make it big with a hit song but afterwards all separate into different parts of their life. For Silver, this includes a life divorced from his wife and separate from his daughter.
Ultimately, this is a book of sacrifice. Not only physical sacrifice, but the sacrifice of mentalities, judgements, and views. Silver has to change how he operates in his life and what he chooses to care about.
Back to his family, it is obvious that Silver cares for them. However; one of the main obstacles is that his ex-wife, Denise, has a fiance. Denise is allegedly moved on, though has many complications with Silver once they are reintroduced into each others life. What they are reintroduced to each other by is their daughter, Casey. Casey has a surprise that will shock everyone.
The journey that Silver goes through as stated earlier is not only a physical challenge, but a challenge of the emotion and mentality. Brought through many different life cycles of Jewish religion, Silver is faced with whether or not he sees life as worth living.
Overall, though Tropper’s novel is rather basic and in my opinion not a tear jerker, it does take us through the process of Silver, a man in a relatable middle aged struggle trying to find meaning in his life. An easy read; and a laid back novel. However, the struggle between literal life death, and a torn heart, makes One Last Thing Before I go worth the purchase.

Tropper has the knack of making the most frustrating and fracked-up characters worthy of your sympathy - not only that, but you end up pulling for them to straighten themselves out - at least, to some extent. While Tropper is a very "modern" writer, there is a tenderness to him that I find very endearing. This novel takes a washed-up musician with an aorta that is about to blow, his ex-wife who is about to remarry a successful surgeon, their teen-age daughter who has just found out she's pregnant, two of his also-divorced loser friends, his long-married Jewish parents (his father is a rabbi) who have never given up on him, and embeds them in your heart. You just want so very much for everyone to find some redemption, some measure of acceptance, some peace with themselves and others who mean more to them than they realize. And at the end of the book, you want to know what is going to continue to happen in their lives.

Jonathon Tropper has become one of my favorite authors. All of the books that I have read thus far have centered on a Jewish male who is going through a mid-life crisis of sorts. However, his novels are not "cookie-cutter," as they all have different storylines and you are never sure how things are going to play out. His characters are all well drawn and likeable, flaws and all. The humor that he writes into the characters is what allows you to care about them, even when you wouldn't otherwise. His dialogue is always witty and entertaining. My only critique of this one is that things are not completely "wrapped up" at the end...leaves the reader to wonder what will happen.

Among Jonathan Tropper's many gifts is the ability to make his readers care about passive male protagonists who have no business being liked. In THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU, Tropper's rude 2009 novel, the recently divorced Judd Foxman rarely loses his browbeaten look as he and the rest of his family sit shiva for his deceased father. When Judd gets angry, his reactions are extreme, such as when he catches his wife having sex with his shock-jock radio boss. Otherwise, he's content to remain detached and toss off mordant wisecracks. Yet, we like Judd despite his sarcasm and moments of cruelty. He may not get along with all the members of his family, but even someone as jaded as him recognizes the importance of love and forgiveness after a death in the family gives them definable features.

Tropper pulls off the same trick in his newest novel, ONE LAST THING BEFORE I GO. This time, the divorced protagonist with the perpetual hangdog expression is Drew Silver. When Silver was in his 20s, he was the drummer for a rock band called The Bent Daisies. They were a one-hit wonder, but that one hit was so huge that the lead singer decided to leave the band for a solo career. The remaining band members were left to pursue lives of relative anonymity. Silver, now 44 and a tinnitus sufferer, makes his money these days by playing weddings, collecting royalty checks and, once a week, donating sperm to a local fertility clinic.

He lives at the Versailles, an apartment complex off the interstate and home mainly to divorced, middle-aged men. His ex-wife, Denise, is a week away from marrying Rich Hastings, a respected surgeon. Even more dispiriting to Silver is a visit he receives from his 18-year-old daughter, Casey. She's off to Princeton in the fall, but when she shows up at the Versailles one day, she surprises her father with the news that she's pregnant. She asks him to take her to Early Intervention to get an abortion. When he asks her why she came to him and not to her mother, she says, "I care less about letting you down."

While Silver chats with Casey in the waiting room, the tinnitus in his left ear begins to "crackle like a fire." The noise recedes, only to be replaced by silence. He closes his eyes in an attempt to relax. When he opens them, he's in a hospital, with Denise, Casey and Rich by his side. Rich, in his role as Dr. Hastings, says that Silver has a tear in his aorta and needs emergency surgery. Without the surgery, Rich tells Silver, he will soon die. Silver declines the operation, not wanting to drift through several more decades of loneliness. He doesn't want to die, he explains, but "I'm just not sure I want to live." The bulk of the novel chronicles Silver's attempts to act like a better father and to find meaning in what has been, for 44 years, an undistinguished life.

If you've read a Tropper novel before, then the story elements here will be familiar to you. The profanity is frequent and often inventive. Many of the characters, the women as well as the men, speak in one-liners. There's divorce and illness and violence and topless co-eds and heart-to-heart talks between men who have been burned by life, albeit largely from fires they were responsible for setting.

But what you might not expect from this master of the male-bonding novel is the sweetness. For all the vulgarity and sarcasm here, there's a surprising tenderness to some of the writing. Many of Silver's conversations with Casey are hard-edged and bitter, but some are disarmingly moving. His later scenes with Denise are succinct, bittersweet depictions of an estranged couple's lingering love. And the book has one of the most beautiful endings I've ever read in a mainstream novel. Tropper's latest work is proof that, in the hands of a good writer, there's no such thing as men's fiction or women's fiction. There's only good fiction. And ONE LAST THING BEFORE I GO is commercial fiction of the highest caliber.

Reviewed by Michael Magras

From "The Book of Joe" all the way UNTIL now, I have been utterly blown away by the work of J. Tropper. He has made me look at fiction literature in a whole new light. I was super excited to read his new release, but I was so disappointed after that I waited several months before writing a review.

I'm just going to hit on the basics. You'll get an idea of what the book is about from the other reviewers.

What worked:
1.) um...

What didn't work:
1.) Perspective: This Tropper's first attempt at third person since "Plan B", and it shows. There are numerous POV shifts throughout the story, and because it's third person, we really don't feel all that invested. That's not to say third person doesn't work, but in this case, it doesn't work.
2.) Characters: I didn't connect with the characters. They're not likable people. One thing Tropper has always excelled at is creating relatable characters -- whether they're likable or not. However, there's always at least one character I connect with and latch on to. ALL of the characters in this story are so unlikable that I failed to relate to any of them.
3.) Characters: Did I already say this? I might have, but I also forgot to mention that Tropper's signature traits he so effectively gives his characters are missing from this story, making the unlikeable characters that much more one-dimensional. Not only do we night like them, but we don't care what happens to them. Not a good combo.
4.) Story: Definitely the weakest he's written to date.

I think Tropper needs a vacation and some time to unwind rather than jumping into something new without a solid story he can really get excited about. If he's not invested, it'll come through in his writing.

Tropper does his best Palahniuk impersonation here, with fair to middling results. To my knowledge this is the first of the author's works to be written in third person, which is so very obviously done to create suspense as to the narrator's survival that to me at least it backfired by simply annoying the hell out of me (it didn't help that his limited third wandered a bit unsteadily). No one does awkward family moments like Tropper so there's still a good deal to enjoy and laugh over here, but it's no Book of Joe.

This is the first of his works I've read and I do look forward to more. Mr. Tropper is brilliant, in my opinion. This is a MUST read for all men. Even if you're not a reader, I think this would make you one.
The narrative reminded me of Nick Hornby in that he has the ability to make me laugh heartily at some pages while making me cry with as much ferocity on other pages. I admired Silver's ability to be so nonchalant while his world collapses and on other pages, I wanted to climb into the book, throttle him and ask, "What the hell is WRONG with you?" I closed the final pages with tears, a smile, and a message that in the tempests we go through every day, perhaps there's flecks of hope swirling around in there somewhere.

Hymns to the Alchemists

Jonathan Tropper has written a novel that showcases his marvelous aperçu into the human condition. Not many writers can create characters that are larger than life and yet so intensely, intimately human. Not many can produce dialogue that bursts so bittersweetly with belly-quaking humor and gutwrenching insight.

Tropper gives us a work of fiction that has the reader laughing through tears, page after page. It resonates with ribald humor and rich truth. There may not be too many actual divorced men out there like Drew Silver, yet in a real sense he epitomizes everyone who's ever found himself up to his neck in a mess of his own making. We can't help but root for him -- and those he unquestionably loves in his less-than-perfect way -- as they muddle through situations beyond their ability to cope, yet somehow manage to bring much more than a just a smidgen of grace and indomitable spirit to bear on all their problems.

It's fitting that Tropper declines to detail precisely what it was that broke the Silvers' marriage. That leaves readers, who may have found themselves in a similar predicament, more room to identify and empathize. And if you've ever been there, empathize you surely will.

Tropper shrewdly leaves us with an ambiguous conclusion, because life and love themselves are so often ambiguous, and their final outcomes so rarely predictable. Yet hope springs eternal on every page of this lovable story. If you, too, are one who's suffered the slings and arrows -- justly or otherwise -- and nevertheless keep looking for the happy ending, this is a book you'll treasure. A real tour de force.

I recently read This House is Where I Leave You, by Tropper and decided to try another one of his books. At first I hated this one, the characters were crude and depressing, but I read on and started to appreciate their honesty and what brought them to their current places. This isn't your heart warming, perfect life story, it's raw, it's depressing at times, but it also shows a way in which families can be repaired, in a not so standard way. It has lots of humorous dialogue that keeps you going, and even a little faith message too. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Troppers work!

Flat. That's the word that kept popping into my mind as I read this book. Flat. Once we find out Silver's condition, there is very little drama except for carefully staged moments that you can see coming. Either the book had to be shorter, or Silver had to make a decision sooner. There were some very funny moments and Mr. Tropper's descriptions are spot on, but unfortunately, the plot thinned and the end flatlined. Let me say that Mr. Tropper's other books, all of which I've read, are fantastic and if reviewed, I'd give them each 5*****.

Achingly sad, but also heartwarmingly uplifting. That's a Jonathan Tropper book for you. And I loved it.

Drew Silver is a drummer formerly in a band with one hit to their name before the singer left and made it big on his own. He seems to go aimlessly about his life, which ultimately causes him to lose his wife and daughter. But he's still a nice guy who's redeemable, making you root for him because deep down, he's just a lost soul.

It's when Silver discovers he has an aortic tear that requires surgery that he begins to see himself as others do, and think introspectively on whether everyone would just be better off without him. This is where things get interesting.

His 18-year old daughter, Casey, comes back into his life with a big problem of her own, needing her dad to help work things out. Being needed seems to awaken him from his seven-year post-divorce stupor. He thinks back on the good things in his life and his many regrets. Mostly for losing the love of his life who now, interestingly, is engaged to his surgeon.

Luckily, his parents are still a big part of his life, loving him for what and who he is, and never making him feel like the failure he knows he is. And he lives in a complex surrounded by other divorced men who have a surprisingly strong sense of camaraderie.

I have to admit, I shed many tears when reading this book. Tropper just has a way of getting to you with his words. He's still one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait for his next book!

This is an adult book because it contains language not suitable for the young, but Tropper is a serious writer with deep and thoughtful themes. Here, he explores a wide range of emotions that permeate the broken relationship of a family - Drew Silver, his ex-wife, Denise, and their 18-year-old daughter Casey. Silver was the drummer in a successful rock band called "The Bent Daisies". They had only one hit, "Rest in Pieces" before their lead singer left them for a successful solo career. "One Last Thing Before I Go" is melancholic, hilarious, and absurd, but underlying the story of the broken life of Drew Silver (a life that was about to end) is a story of a heroic attempt at redemption.

The now old, divorced, and jobless Drew Silver lived in a condominium for retirees, "a place where broken men went to lick their wounds as the battles over marital assets and custody arrangements were slowly lost". He cannot overcome the fact that everyone close to him lived better a life once they had left him behind. His wife, Denise, found a new man, a doctor (Richard). His daughter had a better father, and his rock band leader went on to become a success in music. All that Drew Silver was left with were his friends at the condominium, Jack and Oliver, men who, like Drew Silver, were not shining examples of a well-ordered life. Drew Silver learnt late that "the only way to stay sane is to stop hoping for something better." Yet, when he found out that Casey was pregnant, and that Denise was about to marry Richard, a sense of urgency and purpose came over Drew Silver.

Casey was young and brilliant. She was the only valedictorian from her High School to get a place in an Ivy League college. She loved Drew but only occasionally called him "Dad", and that disturbed him. His action plan to get re-involved in his ex-family's life were derailed when he was diagnosed with a heart condition - an aneurysm - and had to undergo a major surgery which might be potentially fatal, but not going for it was death for sure. In the weeks that followed, Drew Silver showed scant regard for his own health in his drive to redeem himself. His friend Oliver revealed that he was dying of cancer but he had no family and was annoyed with Drew Silver for not willing to take better care of his health. He told Jack and Drew Silver, "I will make a point of visiting your graves on a weekly basis just to piss on them". Eventually, Drew Silver agreed to have the operation. Richard was the surgeon. By that time, Drew Silver could contemplate the short period he had to fulfill three things he wanted to do before he died - be a better man, a better father, and fall in love. He realized then that all three are connected as Casey sat by his side with tears streaming down.

Tropper expresses the tragic and the forlorn with such wit that when one sheds tears reading this novel it might be hard to know if they are tears of sorrow or joy.

Hilarious. Sad. Pathetic. Empathetic. Crazy. There are a lot of ways to describe Jonathan Tropper's new novel, but really it's just a fun read that will appeal to anyone who is searching for the meaning of life. Which should be all of us. Drew Silver, who is called Silver for the rest of the book, is a divorcee, a former one-hit-wonder of a rockstar, a bad father, a bad husband, a bad friend, yet somehow makes everyone love him all the more. As if his life weren't complicated and messed up enough, he develops a tear in his Aorta that is life-threatening unless surgically repaired. But Silver, being the life-long screw up that he is, isn't sure that he wants to have the surgery that will save his life. His daughter, who is eighteen and off to Yale at the end of summer, gets pregnant by the neighbors' son. He is in love with a girl with whom he has never spoken who plays acoustic sets at the local bookstore café. The highlight of his day is when he ogles college-aged girls lounging around the pool near his apartment, The Versailles, a place where divorced men go to become fat and depressed. But through it all comes a story of hope, of love, of reconciliation, and the notion that no matter how screwed up a life gets, it's still worth living. So pick up the book, and start living!

I loved the story... Silver is a great character. but there is an editing problem in that in one scene his ex wife's mother is alive to help her try on her wedding dress and in another she died when she was 13... then later her father who was dead in the wedding dress scene miraculously appears again... however the story is well worth putting up with that little glitch... it will make you laugh and cry and give you a book hangover when you are done.... you know when you aren't ready to let go of the world created by the story and have to go back to the real world :)

Tropper can simply do no wrong. This wasn't as much of a laugh-out-loud riot as his previous books were. It was quieter and more introspective. But every piece came together to form yet another wonderful book. Tropper's strength lies in his character development. And this time, he pulls together a group of people in a beautifully written novel about redemption. How far can those you love go until forgiveness is no longer granted? I think we all have those people in our lives - those who have disappointed us, or just screwed up time and time again. It's an easy topic to relate to, and this novel gives new perspective on the topic.

In comparison to those perfect characters, the plot took almost a backseat role. Silver's 18 year old daughter ends up pregnant - sure, that's a zinger - but it's just a strange twist of fate that serves as a springboard from which father and daughter can begin to repair their relationship. There were several other poignant twists and turns (which I really want to discuss, but am cutting myself off), but they always seemed secondary to the relationships.

I absolutely loved "This is Where I Leave You" and was so eager to read more from Mr. Tropper. However, this book left me feeling a little flat. To me, his other book was a masterpiece wherein every word was meticulously used and every thought rang true. This book felt rushed, as if he was on a deadline and had to get it finished. I didn't find these strange characters to be as realistic as the ones in the other book. I didn't buy some of the actions of his main character. Even someone on the brink of self-destruction can't be as callous as he was. I would probably give it 3.5stars if I could because if I hadn't read the other book first, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

Quite honestly I have to say that I did not like the main character character--Silver. It became redundant hearing about - should he have the surgery or should he not have the surgery and also how he failed in his marriage and how depressing his living situation was. To say this narrative was big on wallowing is an understatement. What was Trooper thinking? Wallow-wallow-wallow! I know this is fiction, but some of the situations Trooper throws at you seem very far fetched and unbelievable- as if he was going for the humor with nothing to back it up - almost gimmicky for the sake of shallow humor or shock value. An enjoyable, entertaining quick easy read, but not much real conflict going on, and sorry to say for the most part characters I could care less about. I would not recommend this.

Reading this book is like wading into a pool at the shallow end. At first, it seems to be a story about sad-sack divorced guys in their forties with a case of arrested development. But keep reading. The writing, the perspective, and the humor become deeper and more mature. This is wonderfully sneaky writing. It remains light and accessible even as you move into the deep end--of our human aloneness and love. A very nice book.

Jonathan Tropper's new novel, One Last Thing Before I Go, is like that sad, too-self-deprecating friend everyone has, who, despite the fact that he depresses you to no end, you still hang out with him because he's entertaining as hell. It's a bit of a departure from Tropper's first five novels -- which are usually crackling with one-liners and populated by dudes getting wantonly laid without trying too hard.

Indeed, One Last Thing Before I Go is Tropper's most melancholic novel. While still often funny and with much of Tropper's signature dude-humor, its main goal really seems to be to explore how badly beaten you have to be to decide you'd rather not live anymore. That's the decision our protagonist, 44-year-old Silver, makes. Silver, a former drummer in a one-hit-wonder rock band called The Bent Daisies, has been divorced for seven years, and his ex-wife is about to marry a rich, handsome doctor. Also, his 18-year-old daughter Casey is pregnant, and only decides to tell Silver because she's not-at-all worried about letting him down.

So when Silver winds up in the hospital with a rare heart condition -- which a simple surgery will solve -- Silver declines to be operated on, deciding instead to put his affairs in order as best he can, and wait for death's call.

But something odd happens on the way to the grave. "Silver doesn't really know how to explain it. It's like he's been inexpertly rewired. Signals are being mixed, relays being tripped, power surging and waning, and he's acting on impulses before he knows he has them."

When you've got nothing to lose, you live your life like losing doesn't matter. And so the rest of the novel follows Silver around as he speaks his mind (sometimes when he doesn't even realize he's talking out loud) and tries to make amends to his wounded family. Will he be able to rescue himself from his family's ire? Will he screw things up worse than they already are? Will he finally decide to have the surgery that'll save his life?

Tropper's one of my favorite writers -- he's always fun to read because he says things in ways that make you wish you'd had his sentences in your arsenal of witty repartee when goofing off with your buddies at the bar. (Example: "The doctor who tells him he is going to die is the same man who will be marrying his ex-wife in two and a half weeks, which is either poetically just, or at least the sort of karmic fart that is emblematic of his life these days.)

But One Last Thing Before I Go strays into the cliché a few too many times to elevate it into the top tier of Tropper novels. There's actually a scene where Silver grabs a microphone at a Bat Mitzvah and professes his apologies and love for his daughter in front of all the guests. You could almost feel a John Hughes "slow-clap" coming on. And all the divorced dudes live in a converted hotel called The Versailles, which is reminiscent of "Casa Nova: A Transitional Place for Singles" from The Simpsons. There's others, too, which I can't tell you about without spoiling.

Still, only-okay Tropper is great reading

I have read all of Jonathan Troopers books and enjoyed all of them. I love his quirky characters, wild sense of humor, and breezy writing style. Although I liked this book, it was not one of his best. It is the story of a depressed, overweight rock star who has messed up his life. Perfect character for a dark comedy. If you like his books read it. If you have never read one Jonathan's Troopers book start with another one.

about a whiny andropausal man and his ongoing inability to make sensible decisions on/for his own. all characters (if u could call them that) are all so witty-snappy cardboards. style and dialogues are too colloquial for my taste : like a poorly written serial from GQ/esquire..i dont think i will read his other books even if they come for free.

I really enjoyed this book. Jonathan Tropper is so funny! The family he writes about could be mine.

This book made me laugh, cry and route for a happy ending. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Seinfeld.

Reviewed by Holly Kammier, author of Kingston Court

Drew Silver is the former drummer for a one hit wonder band whose life has fallen apart following the demise of his band. He's living in a dismal building full of fellow divorced men, his ex-wife Denise is getting married to a doctor, his daughter Casey is a stranger who just found out she's pregnant, and Silver has just found out he will die if he doesn't get a heart operation. His decision to NOT get the operation drives the narrative of One Last Thing Before I Go as Silver tries to figure out if anything's worth living for after he's lost it all.

Jonathan Tropper continues the themes of his previous books about the ties of family and friends that bind us together and the continual struggle to find happiness among the dysfunction. While Silver's potentially fatal illness and his decision to forgo treatment seem contrived, Tropper uses this decision to find the humanity and basic goodness in all the characters, who all ring true in their reactions.

Although One Last Thing Before I Go is about a man's potentially suicidal decision and deals with themes of sadness and lost, it is a very moving and ultimately uplifting book as it examines the ties that bind us into extended families of blood relatives and friends. Highly recommended. (Note: I received a free advanced reader copy of this book to review.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the first one I've read of Jonathan Tropper's work, and I'm looking forwards to reading the rest of his novels. The main character, Silver, is a bit of a sad sack and lost soul, and now he knows that he's also about to lose his life as well. Sounds like it should be a depressing novel, right? But it's not. There is humor throughout the book, even when characters find themselves in painful situations. The author does a great job making you care about each of the characters. I found myself rooting for Silver throughout the book, yearning for him to repair relationships and engage in new ones. It's a very quick read, and a wonderful one at that!

JT is usually one of my favorite reads....but alas not this time. I was dragging myself through it, and eventually gave up. I did go and read the the last five pages, and was doubly glad I stopped as the ending would have pissed me off had I slogged all the way thru to get to that!

this book is a "Catcher In The Rye" for adults. if you enjoyed reading "Catcher in the Rye" in grade school, you'll enjoy this book even more, now that you're an adult. It has humor, sex, nudity, birth, death, and pathos, all the elements of life itself.

I've read everything Jonathan Tropper has written, from the humorous to the touching, and yet this book is different from anything else he's ever written. You can still tell he's written it if you've read enough of his books. It still centers around a non-practicing jewish man in his 30s-40s who has screwed up his life in some way shape of form. It contains humor, touching moments, and leaves the reader with a sense fulfillment in having read a book that you instantly are happy you read, and know was not wasted time.

But this book was different as well. The first fifth of the book is incredibly depressing, not that Tropper doesn't usually start off in chaos and sadness, his last book This is Where I leave you Now takes place with a family sitting shiva for their deceased father. But this book starts with a depressed, lonely, divorced man who has lost everything of value to him. His marriage, his daughter's respect/love, and his career. He is a man sitting in neutral at the low point in his life, and has been for years. And it's not until the book gets about a fifth of the way in that Tropper begins to lighten the mood with some of his famous awkward family dynamic humor.

But this humor almost seems to come to little to late to effectively cut through the sadness that has already set into the story. Of course, Tropper may be trying something new, losing some of his telltale witty and awkward situations for a more serious book about life and death and the effect everyone has on everyone else, whether they know it or not.

This review may not sound happy and promising, but let me be clear, I very much loved this book, it is just not what I was expecting. I would easily recommend it to family and friends and fully plan to, but for those who are curious and read This is Where I Leave You Now, or Plan B, or Book of Joe and loved them for their humor and high degree of writing know, this is incredibly well written, it just wont have you rolling in the aisles. But it, like its predecessors, will still leave you breathless as it tugs at your heart strings, making you both sad to see it over, and happy to have chosen to have read it.

[...]

Couldn't put it down. Read it in a day. Turned to my husband half-way through and said "I think this is going to be one of my favorite books...EVER." And I read a lot. Touched me repeatedly. Got teary a number of times, but in the best way possible. And it leaves me anxiously awaiting his next work - I thought "This is Where I Leave You" was a very good book. This was is funny, loving, charming, smart - brilliant. If I ever meet the author, it will be hard not to squeeze him and thank him for giving me a wonderful experience reading the book.

I really enjoy Tropper's novels. They are humorous but heart felt with identifiable characters. It is interesting to compare this one with the acclaimed "Welcome To The World Of Internet Dating, Conor Fitzpatrick' which has its own take on life and love in today's Music Business.

I love how Jonathan Tropper makes you not only care about his characters and their lives, but he makes you think about how the characters loom at life. The story challenges you to rethink how you approach life's trials and tribulations. It makes you think about your family and your decisions in life. I love this author!

I didn't think I would like this book at first. The first few chapters sounded like a 'woe is me,' story, but I kept going and I'm glad I did. Loved it. The characters, the story, the narrative. Everything.

One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper is a funny, sometimes poignant novel about a middle-aged man who comes face to face with his own mortality.

Drew Silver has more than his share of emotional baggage. He is middle aged and divorced with a plethora of regret, complicated relationships with his ex-wife and daughter and unrealized dreams. But despite his misery, there is something incredibly likeable about Silver and you cannot help but feel empathy for the mess that his life has become. When faced with a life or death decision, Silver is on the fence. Not sure if he wants to live, yet not quite ready to die, Silver re-evaluates his life, realizes he comes up short and resolves to become a better man.

There is no dramatic makeover for Silver. He continues to take missteps and make some fairly colossal mistakes. But he does come to some profound realizations and he does try (with some degree of success) to mend his broken relationships.

Despite a sometimes depressing outlook, One Last Thing Before I Go always maintains a degree of hopefulness. Jonathan Tropper does an outstanding job making Silver a sympathetic character with realistic flaws and imperfections. Silver's plight will resonate with readers as they join him on his sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking life-altering journey.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

The story is not light but the writing is making this a perfect one day read. I sat in the sun in the morning and was finished by the end of the day. Really enjoyed the dysfunction of all characters, the plot and the unexpected twists. I only read The Book of Joe by JT before but am happily purchasing more of his novels to catch up. Very good read, which I highly recommend.

I read the whole thing in one afternoon and kept thinking, "This would make such a great movie, and Steve Carell should be Silver." I ended up loving every character in the book. They made me laugh, made me cry, made me wish they were real and I could visit them---just what a good story is supposed to do.

Maybe it's because Book of Joe is one of my favorite books ever, but every book since has been a let down. I have still read them all for their wit and remarkable stand-alone paragraphs. But the plots and the characters are becoming too similar and frankly too whiny. I couldn't finish this one and that makes me sad.

If you like Richard Ford books like Independence Day and John Updike's Rabbit series, you will absolutely love this book. Well written, often laugh out loud funny, and touchingly poignant....a great book for mid-life!