I’ve read several of Tropper’s books. He specializes in the dysfunctional family. This one concerns four friends: our narrator, Ben, long in love with Lindsey, but just getting divorced from Sarah; Chuck, the Rogaine-using surgeon who can’t seem to get enough sex; Jack, a movie star with a bad cocaine habit, now estranged from them after they attempted a half-hearted intervention; and Allison, Jack’s sort of girlfriend.

But the worst thing is they’re turning thirty. “If I were a dog I’d be dead. Thirty . . . shit. It’s a nice round number to arrive at if you have it all together. Success, love, a family, the overall sense that you actually belong on the planet. If you have all that, you can wear thirty well. But if you don’t, it feels like you’ve missed the deadline, and suddenly your chances of ever getting it right, of ever achieving true happiness and fulfillment, are fading fast. . . Thirty . . . shit. Crows feet, jowls, love handles. I’ve started to see myself through the eyes of the teenagers I pass on the street, repeatedly shocked by the realization that they see me as older. So many of the things I’ve eaten with impunity for years suddenly give me indigestion. Nothing feels new anymore. Everything I see just reminds me of something else. I know now that there are certain things I’ll never do in my life. A shirt I still think of as new turns out to actually be seven or eight years old. Seasons are quicker, holidays vaguely disturbing. Statistically speaking, I’ve used up more than one third of my life span, the healthiest third. And where are the tradeoffs? Where’s the authority? The wisdom? The confidence that was supposed to have come with adulthood? I’m only experienced enough to know that I’m as clueless as I ever was.” (Man, would I love to be thirty again. My kids all thought thirty was death. Now they’re all approaching or are past forty, it’s a different story.)

Convinced they can only help Jack with drastic measures, they adopt Plan B. They kidnap him to get him out of his addiction. Then things get complicated. They realize their motivations weren’t quite what they professed. On the other hand, “The Scarecrow, Lion, and Tin Man weren’t just helping Dorothy for the hell of it. They all had their own reasons for wanting to see the Wizard.”

A very sweet book and thoroughly enjoyable. It has suspense, conflict, surprise, and humor. “That guy” Don told us when we greeted him on the porch, “got into the gene pool when the lifeguard wasn’t watching.” “He definitely has severe delusions of adequacy.” ( )

Ben und seine vier Freunde kennen sich schon seit der Uni und treffen sich immer noch sporadisch. Eigentlich haben sie sich recht gegensätzlich entwickelt, obwohl sie sich alle sehr mögen. Einer der Freunde, Jack, ist ein berühmter Filmstar geworden. Nun stellt sich heraus, dass Jack massive Drogenprobleme hat. Die vier anderen beschließen, ihn zu retten, sie entführen ihn und führen einen harten Entzug mit ihm durch.
Die Geschichte hat mich nicht sehr überzeugt, was v.a. an den eher etwas "leeren" Protagonisten lag. Nur die Thematik des Kindes Jeremy konnte mich in ihrer unendlichen Traurigkeit fesseln, die amerikanischen Schriftsteller trauen sich ja hemmungslos sentimental zu schreiben, ich habe da schon richtig weinen müssen. Ansonsten, wie gesagt, blieb das Buch für mich eher an der Oberfläche. Seltsamerweise laufen bei mir momentan die Bücher ein, die sich mit dem Erwachsenwerden ab Ende 20 beschäftigen, gestern erst habe ich "Juliet Naked" beendet, wo 40+ jährige das gleiche Thema bearbeiten. Da muss ich dann doch an die beiden Menschen aus Falladas "Jeder stirbt für sich allein" denken, die im Buch auch abgebildet sind. Sie waren auch erst 40 und 46, doch ihr Leben war gelebt, sie waren ältlich, sie mussten sterben. Es ist schon ein ganz andere Leben mit ganz anderen Problemen , das wir westlichen Menschen heute führen! 30jährige denken immer noch über die Berufswahl nach, ob sie Kinder bekommen, wo sie leben sollen. Soziologisch gesehen gleichen sich Kinder immer früher an die Erwachsenen an, die Erwachsenen hingegen bleiben immer mehr Jugendliche. Seltsame Welt!
Ben und seine Freunde in diesem Buch schaffen es zumindest zum Teil, erwachsen zu werden. ( )

Another funny book by Mr. Trooper. My second book read from his collection and I can't wait to read the rest. Witty, humorous and an overall good time. Having recently turned 30 myself I could empthaize with the characters as they all face a new chapter in their lives. Chuck was my favorite character as I could vividly imagine a similar friend of mine; balding, oversexed, overworked and clinging to his 20's like it was his job. ( )

Another excellent book by Tropper - thought not my favorite of his. Tropper's dialogue always flows, and his characters thoughts are insightful. Tropper is always a recommended read-can't wait for the next realease since I have gone through all his books now. ( )

This book had a strong St. Elmo's Fire vibe to it (which is one of my favorite movies). It's about a group of close college friends, dealing with growing up and growing apart now that college is over. They are all thirty or about to turn thirty and are very angsty about it. At times I was rolling my eyes thinking, "Give me a break - thirty is not THAT big of a deal." But overall I liked all the characters and the relationships between them. ( )