Everything Changes

February 21, 2005
The arrival of a long-lost absent father forces a Manhattan man to come to terms with an ongoing romantic triangle in Tropper's latest, a funny, sensitive and occasionally over-the-top comic novel that revolves around the calamitous life of 32-year-old Zack King. King's a horrible job as a corporate drone for a supply company is balanced by his impending marriage to Hope, his gorgeous, successful fiancée. But chaos comes with the arrival of his wacky divorced father, Norm, who left Zack and his two brothers after his wife used graphic pictures of his infidelity as the backdrop for the family Christmas cards. Norm makes himself an unwelcome guest as Zack tries to deal with a potentially devastating health problem and a job crisis that makes him realize how much he hates his life. But the real problem is Zack's growing attraction to Tamara, the beautiful, recently widowed single mother who was married to Zack's friend Rael until a car accident took Rael's life and left Zack alive during an ill-fated road trip to Atlantic City. Viagra-popping Norm becomes increasingly cartoonish as the novel unfolds, and the triangle material is boilerplate, but pithy observations on love, marriage and corporate life give the book a graceful charm. Tropper continues to display a fine feel for romantic comedy in this enjoyable follow-up to The Book of Joe
. Agent, Simon Lipskar.

Starred review from April 1, 2005
Tropper's first novel, "The Book of Joe", delivered equal bits of comedy and tragedy through the wry sensibilities of a talented, thirtysomething single man. In a similar voice, his follow-up introduces 32-year-old Zack King. Although ostensibly settled with a high-end fiancé e and mid-level job, Zack roils with buried losses and subconscious desires. His father, Norm, walked out on the family when Zack was 12, leaving him, the oldest of three, to be the man of the house. More recently, his best friend, Rael, died in a car crash, and Zack was with him. Afterward, Zack finds himself increasingly and irresistibly drawn to Rael's widow, Tamara, and their little girl, Sophie. Fate then deals Zack a double whammy: Norm appears at Zack's doorstep seeking forgiveness, and Zack is faced with a health scare of dire proportions. Tropper tells true stories and draws full characters who, no matter how flawed, have saving graces that make readers care. Highly recommended for most fiction collections. -Sheila Riley, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2005
Tropper, author of " Plan B" (2000) and " The Book of Joe" (2004), offers up the story of Zachary King, a man in his early thirties facing a possible health crisis and major life changes. Zack is engaged to a beautiful woman, Hope, and slogging through his trying job as a middleman when he discovers blood in his urine. He makes a trip to the doctor, and as he waits for the results, he starts to question everything in his life. His job is thankless, and he is in danger of losing a big account because of another's mistake; his perfect fiancee doesn't look nearly as good to him as his best friend's widow, Tamara; and his feckless father, Norm, has dropped back into Zack's life, and for the first time, Zack finds himself inclined to consider letting the man in. As with any great comedy, high jinks ensue, including a hilarious scene where Zack, Norm, and Zack's roommate try to track down Zack's doctor. But the novel is also grounded by the serious issues at its heart: the tragic death of Zack's best friend, Norm's abandonment of his family, and Zack's struggle to do the right thing. By turns funny and moving, Tropper's warm, winning tale will appeal to both male and female readers and may draw comparisons to Nick Hornby and John Scott Shepherd. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)