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Everything Changes
Jonathan Tropper’s novel The Book of Joe dazzled critics and readers alike with its heartfelt blend of humor and pathos. Now Tropper brings all that–and more–to an irresistible new novel. In Everything Changes , Tropper delivers a touching, wickedly funny new tale about love, loss, and the perils of a well-planned life.
EVERYTHING CHANGES
To all appearances, Zachary King is a man with luck on his side. A steady, well-paying job, a rent-free Manhattan apartment, and Hope, his stunning, blue-blooded fiancé smart, sexy, and completely out of his league. But as the wedding day looms, Zack finds himself haunted by the memory of his best friend, Rael, killed in a car wreck two years earlier–and by his increasingly complicated feelings for Tamara, the beautiful widow Rael left behind.
Then Norm–Zack’s freewheeling, Viagra-popping father–resurfaces after a twenty-year absence, looking to make amends. Norm’s overbearing, often outrageous efforts to reestablish ties with his sons infuriate Zack, and yet, despite twenty years of bad blood, he finds something compelling in his father’s maniacal determination to transform his own life. Inspired by Norm, Zack boldly attempts to make some changes of his own, and the results are instantly calamitous. Soon fists are flying, his love life is a shambles, and his once carefully structured existence is spinning hopelessly out of control.
Charged with intelligence and razor sharp wit, Everything Changes is at once hilarious, moving, sexy, and wise–a work of transcendent storytelling from an exciting new talent.
EVERYTHING CHANGES
To all appearances, Zachary King is a man with luck on his side. A steady, well-paying job, a rent-free Manhattan apartment, and Hope, his stunning, blue-blooded fiancé smart, sexy, and completely out of his league. But as the wedding day looms, Zack finds himself haunted by the memory of his best friend, Rael, killed in a car wreck two years earlier–and by his increasingly complicated feelings for Tamara, the beautiful widow Rael left behind.
Then Norm–Zack’s freewheeling, Viagra-popping father–resurfaces after a twenty-year absence, looking to make amends. Norm’s overbearing, often outrageous efforts to reestablish ties with his sons infuriate Zack, and yet, despite twenty years of bad blood, he finds something compelling in his father’s maniacal determination to transform his own life. Inspired by Norm, Zack boldly attempts to make some changes of his own, and the results are instantly calamitous. Soon fists are flying, his love life is a shambles, and his once carefully structured existence is spinning hopelessly out of control.
Charged with intelligence and razor sharp wit, Everything Changes is at once hilarious, moving, sexy, and wise–a work of transcendent storytelling from an exciting new talent.
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
256 people are currently reading
6017 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Tropper
18 books3,213 followersJonathan Tropper is the author of Everything Changes, The Book of Joe , which was a Booksense 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.
-Information from www.jonathantropper.com
-Information from www.jonathantropper.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 992 reviews
August 23, 2017
4 Stars. I can always count on Jonathan Tropper to pull me out of a book slump!
February 13, 2018
Everything Changes is a story about Zack King, a guy who has a lot going for him, but isn’t necessarily as happy as you think. Traumatic childhood experiences and Norm, his largely absent father, resurface, a tragedy leaves him and close friends struggling with elements of grief, and a health scare, a job he hates, and confusion about love add to the mix. I was pleasantly surprised by this book.
This book had a great balance of dark sadness, humor and wit. While some elements in the story became predictable, there was a twist near the end that I didn’t see coming. I liked it. I also enjoyed the family dynamic and the relatable situations and feelings.
”...you think that maybe your life isn’t taking shape the way it’s meant to, and at thirty-two years old, if you’re going to be making any changes, you had best make them quick. So you give it a whirl, and it’s like trying to make a 90 degree turn in a speeding boat, and the whole thing just flips over and you’re submerged in the frigid, churning waters, bobbing roughly in your own broken wake. And no matter which way you turn your desperate gaze, there’s absolutely no land in sight, which is strange, because you didn’t think you’d gone out that far to begin with.”
This is the first Jonathan Tropper book I’ve read, but it likely won’t be the last.
This book had a great balance of dark sadness, humor and wit. While some elements in the story became predictable, there was a twist near the end that I didn’t see coming. I liked it. I also enjoyed the family dynamic and the relatable situations and feelings.
”...you think that maybe your life isn’t taking shape the way it’s meant to, and at thirty-two years old, if you’re going to be making any changes, you had best make them quick. So you give it a whirl, and it’s like trying to make a 90 degree turn in a speeding boat, and the whole thing just flips over and you’re submerged in the frigid, churning waters, bobbing roughly in your own broken wake. And no matter which way you turn your desperate gaze, there’s absolutely no land in sight, which is strange, because you didn’t think you’d gone out that far to begin with.”
This is the first Jonathan Tropper book I’ve read, but it likely won’t be the last.
March 25, 2008
I think it's a testament to Jonathan Tropper's writing skill that he can create characters that I can relate to even as they are having experiences I never have had, such as being male, having brothers or anticipating the results of a biopsy. It took me longer to get into this one than it did Book of Joe, but once it did, once again, I couldn't put it down. I completely fell in love with Zack in the end. How can you not love anyone who creates paragraphs like this one:
I picture my empty cubicle, the e-mails stacking up like Tetris bricks on my monitor, my phone ringing off the wall, my voice mailbox filled with increasingly frantic messages from Craig Hodges about the impossibility of purple swooshes. I open my mouth and whisper the word "swoosh." The sound, blowing through my rubber cheeks, somehow soothes my headache, so I spend the next few minutes swooshing quietly. Eventually, I fall back asleep.
I picture my empty cubicle, the e-mails stacking up like Tetris bricks on my monitor, my phone ringing off the wall, my voice mailbox filled with increasingly frantic messages from Craig Hodges about the impossibility of purple swooshes. I open my mouth and whisper the word "swoosh." The sound, blowing through my rubber cheeks, somehow soothes my headache, so I spend the next few minutes swooshing quietly. Eventually, I fall back asleep.
March 27, 2024
Мистър Тропър е майстор на съвременните романи за нефункционални семейства.
Както в "Шантава седмица" и тук имаме сложни взаимоотношения, изпитания и поврати в историята. Всичко това е споено без много да се морализаторства и без автора да има претенции за нещо невиждано или нечувано.
На мен "Всичко се променя" ми достави читателско удоволствие!
Моята оценка - 3,5*.
P.S. Имам и "Книгата на Джо", сигурно и нея скоро ще прочета.
Както в "Шантава седмица" и тук имаме сложни взаимоотношения, изпитания и поврати в историята. Всичко това е споено без много да се морализаторства и без автора да има претенции за нещо невиждано или нечувано.
На мен "Всичко се променя" ми достави читателско удоволствие!
Моята оценка - 3,5*.
P.S. Имам и "Книгата на Джо", сигурно и нея скоро ще прочета.
September 1, 2008
After picking up How to Talk to a Widower on a whim, I became an immediate fan of Jonathan Tropper and went back to read all of his other books. Each one has moments of hilarity and poignancy. This is the type of book that I find truly entertaining--one that can both make me laugh out loud and bring me to tears. I could not help but love the main character in this story; in spite of his ambivalence and lack of drive, I warmed to him immediately, and I attribute that to Tropper's gift with characterization. The characters are drawn so realistically, and we grow to understand them so well that we can't help but be drawn into their story.
February 5, 2017
Alweer een topper van Tropper! (sorry, ik kon het niet laten) Veel meer kan ik daar eigenlijk niet over zeggen. Het is mijn derde boek van de auteur, en zeker niet het laatste. Graag gelezen, vol goeie zinnen en met een perfect evenwicht van hilariteit en drama om het verhaal heel 'echt’ te doen aanvoelen.
August 24, 2012
Not good. This is a book about a guy who complains. He complains a lot. You've heard of "stream of consciousness"... well, this is stream of complaining. It is incessant. Zach King, the main character, is a 30-something guy who complains about his job, his friends, his fiancé, and mostly, over and over again, his father. We have the whole magilla here: flat writing style, 2-D characters, boring plot, etc. It is draining.
The book cover promises "razor-sharp wit". OK. The running gag in the book: the main character's father pops Viagra all the time and frequently has an inconvenient erection. Witty.
I was more than a hundred pages into the book, waiting for something to happen, because the book cover talks about a big transition in Zach King's life and the resulting "calamitous changes". I know, I know. What rube believes the stuff on a book cover? I blame my Midwestern upbringing. I am a huckleberry. Ha!
The whining and complaining in this book reminds me of another book I just read called The Condition. There's a huge difference though. Jennifer Haigh's writing style in The Condition is flowing and beautiful. The writing style here is chopped and linear. It is a really difficult read.
QOTD
I enjoyed the happy happy ending, but it wasn't enough. 1 bill-star.
The book cover promises "razor-sharp wit". OK. The running gag in the book: the main character's father pops Viagra all the time and frequently has an inconvenient erection. Witty.
I was more than a hundred pages into the book, waiting for something to happen, because the book cover talks about a big transition in Zach King's life and the resulting "calamitous changes". I know, I know. What rube believes the stuff on a book cover? I blame my Midwestern upbringing. I am a huckleberry. Ha!
The whining and complaining in this book reminds me of another book I just read called The Condition. There's a huge difference though. Jennifer Haigh's writing style in The Condition is flowing and beautiful. The writing style here is chopped and linear. It is a really difficult read.
QOTD
She looks up at me, shaking her head. "You know, Zack, even when someone is deserving of your anger, they're still deserving of compassion. It's hard to pull off, believe me - no one knows that more than me. And if you're only going to pull it off a handful of times, why not for family?"
- Everything Changes
I enjoyed the happy happy ending, but it wasn't enough. 1 bill-star.
August 5, 2013
Everything changes for Zack when he wakes up one morning and discovers blood in his urine. While waiting for his biopsy results to come back, Zack deals with his lackluster career, an absentee father who decides to make his re-entry into the family after being gone for 20+ years, his upcoming engagement party, and the fact that he may be in love with his best friend's widow.
Like all Tropper books, Zack is kind of a loveable loser and is surrounded by an unforgettable ensemble cast. While I'm sure this spiel gets stale for some, it never does for me. Tropper has me laughing one minute and crying the next. He never ceases to create a cast that I want to know more about. This one had a couple of lulls in the storyline compared to his others, so it's getting 4 stars instead of 5, but I still absolutely adored it. Once again, Warner Brothers has optioned this book for a movie and I think all of his books will translate to film remarkably well.
Like all Tropper books, Zack is kind of a loveable loser and is surrounded by an unforgettable ensemble cast. While I'm sure this spiel gets stale for some, it never does for me. Tropper has me laughing one minute and crying the next. He never ceases to create a cast that I want to know more about. This one had a couple of lulls in the storyline compared to his others, so it's getting 4 stars instead of 5, but I still absolutely adored it. Once again, Warner Brothers has optioned this book for a movie and I think all of his books will translate to film remarkably well.
March 30, 2018
Kelly( and the Book Boar) was/were kind enough to write my review for me. She did an excellent job. Please read it!
June 5, 2007
Okay, I knew there was a reason why I gave Jonathan Tropper another chance.
This book was fantastic. I started it late on a Sunday night, in the vain attempt that it would help me fall asleep, and instead, I read the entire book.
Besides Tropper's writing style (which is sarcastic and funny while being warm and engaging...odd feat), the interwoven stories were interesting and touching. I immediately went to the bookstore to buy his other books. Hooray for a new favorite author.
This book was fantastic. I started it late on a Sunday night, in the vain attempt that it would help me fall asleep, and instead, I read the entire book.
Besides Tropper's writing style (which is sarcastic and funny while being warm and engaging...odd feat), the interwoven stories were interesting and touching. I immediately went to the bookstore to buy his other books. Hooray for a new favorite author.
July 7, 2025
Una sorta di romanzo di formazione young adult (young adult attuale, quindi la generazione trentenni in cerca della propria strada nella vita) condito da famiglie disfunzionali, problemi psicologici e traumi assortiti.
Scritto molto, molto bene: era da tanto che un libro non mi portava a ritagliarmi con violenza del tempo per la lettura, è stato un bel salto indietro nel tempo (quando il tempo era di più e la vita meno impellente), infatti l'ho finito abbastanza velocemente.
L'unico appunto che posso trovargli è che il (simpatico) cast è un po' troppo eccessivo.
L'amico generoso, bello, atletico e pieno di soldi all'inverosimile; la fidanzata della pseudonobiltà americana, bellissima e perfetta e intelligente e di successo; la vedova dell'amico morto (evento traumatico che ha segnato tutti) ovviamente sensualissima, empatica, gentile.
E ancora, il fratello che suona e che fa il frontman di un gruppo punk, la madre "santa martire" rimasta a difendere il forte e a gestire il figlio con ritardo mentale, il padre fedifrago che è scappato molti anni prima sparendo nel nulla e lasciando dietro di sé traumi irrisolti.
Ed è proprio il ritorno del vecchio padre (con tutti i vecchi vizi e difetti a corredo) a smuovere le acque, a mescolare le carte e a iniettare del sano caos nelle vite di tutti, lasciando alla fine persone un po' sconvolte, magari, ma più consapevoli di sé stessi e di chi gli sta vicino.
Però, appunto, il cast è un tantinello troppo eccessivo, tutto per assoluti. Con un briciolo più di normalità penso avrei adorato questo libro, invece di amarlo, ma son dettagli.
A questo punto mi dichiaro interessato a proseguire la mia conoscenza con questo autore.
Scritto molto, molto bene: era da tanto che un libro non mi portava a ritagliarmi con violenza del tempo per la lettura, è stato un bel salto indietro nel tempo (quando il tempo era di più e la vita meno impellente), infatti l'ho finito abbastanza velocemente.
L'unico appunto che posso trovargli è che il (simpatico) cast è un po' troppo eccessivo.
L'amico generoso, bello, atletico e pieno di soldi all'inverosimile; la fidanzata della pseudonobiltà americana, bellissima e perfetta e intelligente e di successo; la vedova dell'amico morto (evento traumatico che ha segnato tutti) ovviamente sensualissima, empatica, gentile.
E ancora, il fratello che suona e che fa il frontman di un gruppo punk, la madre "santa martire" rimasta a difendere il forte e a gestire il figlio con ritardo mentale, il padre fedifrago che è scappato molti anni prima sparendo nel nulla e lasciando dietro di sé traumi irrisolti.
Ed è proprio il ritorno del vecchio padre (con tutti i vecchi vizi e difetti a corredo) a smuovere le acque, a mescolare le carte e a iniettare del sano caos nelle vite di tutti, lasciando alla fine persone un po' sconvolte, magari, ma più consapevoli di sé stessi e di chi gli sta vicino.
Però, appunto, il cast è un tantinello troppo eccessivo, tutto per assoluti. Con un briciolo più di normalità penso avrei adorato questo libro, invece di amarlo, ma son dettagli.
A questo punto mi dichiaro interessato a proseguire la mia conoscenza con questo autore.
February 28, 2015
3.5 stars.
Criticizing Jonathan Tropper for representing one specific worldview is sort of like criticizing The Ramones for not using a string section. Yet that’s usually what I hear when criticism is levied against him: his stories are too white, too male, too thirtysomething anxious. If there’s any discussion about whether or not he deals with those things well, it’s often tinged with condescension about the perspectives he’s not representing. Which, I have to say, makes little sense to me. Just because Tropper writes from (and about) the perspective of an approaching-middle-age white dude doesn’t mean he’s discounting the struggles of anyone else in the world. It’s criticism of omission; rather than engaging with where he has or hasn’t succeeded, it’s condemnation based on what he hasn’t tried to do at all because it wouldn’t be appropriate for the stories he’s telling.
I mean, look: it’s clearly important we keep our own struggles in perspective. At no point do I believe that my anxiety at getting older can hold a candle to the mind-numbing terror felt by people experiencing ethnic genocide – or even people who simply struggle day to day to make ends meet. But it’s my anxiety, and no matter how much I try to empathize with others, I still have to come home and deal with my own head. So as soon as we start saying, “Well, this novel is inferior because the main character’s problems are relatively small potatoes compared to what other people in the world are dealing with,” we’re just competing in the Olympics of Misery, where the person with the saddest story wins and everyone else loses, seeing their own personal struggles diminished in the process. I’d like to think I can enjoy Tropper and Richard Wright, thank you very much, and that just because I identify with the travails of schlubby white guys, that doesn’t mean I’m ignoring the plight of women and minorities. And, I should add, just because one author chooses to write about schlubby white guys doesn’t mean other people’s struggles are automatically minimized. I’m not sure where this notion came from that every work of art has to be the United Nations, but here we are.
I say all this because Everything Changes, the fifth of Tropper’s books I’ve read, is just as funny and truthful as the other four, even if it does continue to plow a similar furrow as the others. This time around, Zack, a – you guessed it – thirtysomething white guy, is stuck in a job he hates, engaged to a woman he adores but doesn’t love, and secretly pining for the widow of his best friend. On the same day his estranged father shows up on his doorstep after fifteen years, Zack sees blood in his urine and is faced with the prospect of a cancer diagnosis. He uses the convergence of all these events – health, father, shitty job, engagement party – to make some drastic changes in his life, only he does so in the most passive way possible: by generally doing nothing, choosing instead to let his disengagement take care of things on its own.
There are a lot of the usual Tropperisms his fans will recognize and new readers will enjoy. First and foremost, we get self-aware, smart-alecky dialogue spoken by well-drawn characters that verge on the realistic without quite making the jump to people we’d be likely to meet in everyday life. In addition to Zack there’s his well-read punk-rock brother Matt; his other brother, the mentally impaired Peter; his self-sacrificing mother Lela; Norm, the wayward, Viagra-popping father; Jed, a self-made millionaire who’d rather stay home and watch TV; Hope, the too-perfect fiancée; and Tamara, the widow to whom Zack would rather be engaged.
And like Tropper’s other novels, this one does feature some sequences that verge on sitcom territory – a punchup at the engagement party, a disastrous encounter with a groupie, a golf course confrontation with a doctor – but the hallmark of Tropper’s work is the way he’s able to weave threads of genuine insight into a tapestry of broad comedy. Zack has this realization in the book’s final third:
This is what happens. You piss blood one day and it somehow makes you think that maybe your life isn’t taking shape the way it’s meant to and, at thirty-two years old, if you’re going to be making any changes, you had best make them come quick. So you give it a whirl, and it’s like trying to make a ninety-degree turn in a speeding boat, and the whole thing just flips over, and you’re submerged in the frigid, churning waters, bobbing roughly in your own broken wake. And no matter which way you turn your desperate gaze, there’s absolutely no land in sight, which is strange, because you didn’t think you’d gone out that far to begin with.
Is the sensation of feeling lost in the way Zack feels lost only the province of characters like him – the thirty-year-old middle-class white dudes? I’d argue not, and it feels to me like anyone getting hung up on the demographics of Tropper’s protagonists are ignoring – maybe willfully – the universality of his work. We all wrestle with family dynamics, we all feel ambivalence about the people we love, we all – at one time or another – find work boring and life unsatisfying. Are these seismic struggles, the kind that change lives in an instant? Of course not. But they are the kind that leave hairline fractures in the foundation, the ones that accumulate over time and, if not remedied, can reduce lives to rubble.
Read all my reviews at goldstarforrobotboy.net
Criticizing Jonathan Tropper for representing one specific worldview is sort of like criticizing The Ramones for not using a string section. Yet that’s usually what I hear when criticism is levied against him: his stories are too white, too male, too thirtysomething anxious. If there’s any discussion about whether or not he deals with those things well, it’s often tinged with condescension about the perspectives he’s not representing. Which, I have to say, makes little sense to me. Just because Tropper writes from (and about) the perspective of an approaching-middle-age white dude doesn’t mean he’s discounting the struggles of anyone else in the world. It’s criticism of omission; rather than engaging with where he has or hasn’t succeeded, it’s condemnation based on what he hasn’t tried to do at all because it wouldn’t be appropriate for the stories he’s telling.
I mean, look: it’s clearly important we keep our own struggles in perspective. At no point do I believe that my anxiety at getting older can hold a candle to the mind-numbing terror felt by people experiencing ethnic genocide – or even people who simply struggle day to day to make ends meet. But it’s my anxiety, and no matter how much I try to empathize with others, I still have to come home and deal with my own head. So as soon as we start saying, “Well, this novel is inferior because the main character’s problems are relatively small potatoes compared to what other people in the world are dealing with,” we’re just competing in the Olympics of Misery, where the person with the saddest story wins and everyone else loses, seeing their own personal struggles diminished in the process. I’d like to think I can enjoy Tropper and Richard Wright, thank you very much, and that just because I identify with the travails of schlubby white guys, that doesn’t mean I’m ignoring the plight of women and minorities. And, I should add, just because one author chooses to write about schlubby white guys doesn’t mean other people’s struggles are automatically minimized. I’m not sure where this notion came from that every work of art has to be the United Nations, but here we are.
I say all this because Everything Changes, the fifth of Tropper’s books I’ve read, is just as funny and truthful as the other four, even if it does continue to plow a similar furrow as the others. This time around, Zack, a – you guessed it – thirtysomething white guy, is stuck in a job he hates, engaged to a woman he adores but doesn’t love, and secretly pining for the widow of his best friend. On the same day his estranged father shows up on his doorstep after fifteen years, Zack sees blood in his urine and is faced with the prospect of a cancer diagnosis. He uses the convergence of all these events – health, father, shitty job, engagement party – to make some drastic changes in his life, only he does so in the most passive way possible: by generally doing nothing, choosing instead to let his disengagement take care of things on its own.
There are a lot of the usual Tropperisms his fans will recognize and new readers will enjoy. First and foremost, we get self-aware, smart-alecky dialogue spoken by well-drawn characters that verge on the realistic without quite making the jump to people we’d be likely to meet in everyday life. In addition to Zack there’s his well-read punk-rock brother Matt; his other brother, the mentally impaired Peter; his self-sacrificing mother Lela; Norm, the wayward, Viagra-popping father; Jed, a self-made millionaire who’d rather stay home and watch TV; Hope, the too-perfect fiancée; and Tamara, the widow to whom Zack would rather be engaged.
And like Tropper’s other novels, this one does feature some sequences that verge on sitcom territory – a punchup at the engagement party, a disastrous encounter with a groupie, a golf course confrontation with a doctor – but the hallmark of Tropper’s work is the way he’s able to weave threads of genuine insight into a tapestry of broad comedy. Zack has this realization in the book’s final third:
This is what happens. You piss blood one day and it somehow makes you think that maybe your life isn’t taking shape the way it’s meant to and, at thirty-two years old, if you’re going to be making any changes, you had best make them come quick. So you give it a whirl, and it’s like trying to make a ninety-degree turn in a speeding boat, and the whole thing just flips over, and you’re submerged in the frigid, churning waters, bobbing roughly in your own broken wake. And no matter which way you turn your desperate gaze, there’s absolutely no land in sight, which is strange, because you didn’t think you’d gone out that far to begin with.
Is the sensation of feeling lost in the way Zack feels lost only the province of characters like him – the thirty-year-old middle-class white dudes? I’d argue not, and it feels to me like anyone getting hung up on the demographics of Tropper’s protagonists are ignoring – maybe willfully – the universality of his work. We all wrestle with family dynamics, we all feel ambivalence about the people we love, we all – at one time or another – find work boring and life unsatisfying. Are these seismic struggles, the kind that change lives in an instant? Of course not. But they are the kind that leave hairline fractures in the foundation, the ones that accumulate over time and, if not remedied, can reduce lives to rubble.
Read all my reviews at goldstarforrobotboy.net
March 12, 2011
Many people's immediate reaction to Jonathan Tropper — author of last year's critically acclaimed This Is Where I Leave You, one of my favorite books of 2009 — is to pigeonhole him as the dude version of chick lit writers like Sophie Kinsella, Lauren Weisberger and Candace Bushnell. Everything Changes certainly has elements of what could be considered "dude lit" — laughably bad dialogue, silly gratuitous sex scenes, drugs and rock'n'roll. Even the cover art plays into this notion of "for fellas only."
But I'd argue that Tropper is so adept at describing the psychology of relationships and love and connecting his readers to his characters that Everything Changes moves well beyond a brainless genre fiction novel to a memorable, affecting literary experience. At least, that was the case for me. I loved Everything Changes. Frankly, I was surprised by how much I liked it, and how it's stayed with me since I finished it several days ago.
The story is about 32-year-old Zack King. Ostensibly, his life is great — he lives rent-free with his millionaire buddy in New York City, is engaged to the beautiful, intelligent Hope, and has a well-paying job as a consultant. But then Zack wakes up one morning and pees blood, and then his long-absent father reappears, and then he begins to realize he's in love with his dead best friend's widow, and then he has a career-threatening crisis at work. That's a helluva lot to deal with in one week, and everything begins to, well, change.
The idea of the book is that even though Zack's life seems to be moving in the direction any early-30s dude would be happy with, he's really stuck in the neutral middle of just about every facet of his life. He's conflicted about his feelings for his fiance Hope and Tamara, the woman he thinks he really loves; he's a middle man at work, helping match up American companies with overseas manufacturers; and his ridiculous Viagra-popping father's re-emergence, has him torn between anger at his prolonged absence, skepticism about his real motives, and the possibility of forgiveness. And all this is weighing on him at once as he considers the possibility he might have bladder cancer.
The resolution is decidedly messy, as everything does, in fact, change. But following Zack through his decisions — both good and poor — and Tropper's acumen for explaining them, make Everything Changes just an out-and-out good time. Both male and female readers will enjoy this book. For females, Tropper provides a pitch-perfect peak behind the proverbial curtain of what the hell goes on in the male mind. For dudes, there are several "ah, yeah!" moments where Tropper describes something you may have thought about but aren't able to articulate. Again, at least that was the case for me. Though Everything Changes isn't quite as good as This Is Where I Leave You, it's still a great read — perhaps a good introduction to Tropper if you haven't read him at all.
But I'd argue that Tropper is so adept at describing the psychology of relationships and love and connecting his readers to his characters that Everything Changes moves well beyond a brainless genre fiction novel to a memorable, affecting literary experience. At least, that was the case for me. I loved Everything Changes. Frankly, I was surprised by how much I liked it, and how it's stayed with me since I finished it several days ago.
The story is about 32-year-old Zack King. Ostensibly, his life is great — he lives rent-free with his millionaire buddy in New York City, is engaged to the beautiful, intelligent Hope, and has a well-paying job as a consultant. But then Zack wakes up one morning and pees blood, and then his long-absent father reappears, and then he begins to realize he's in love with his dead best friend's widow, and then he has a career-threatening crisis at work. That's a helluva lot to deal with in one week, and everything begins to, well, change.
The idea of the book is that even though Zack's life seems to be moving in the direction any early-30s dude would be happy with, he's really stuck in the neutral middle of just about every facet of his life. He's conflicted about his feelings for his fiance Hope and Tamara, the woman he thinks he really loves; he's a middle man at work, helping match up American companies with overseas manufacturers; and his ridiculous Viagra-popping father's re-emergence, has him torn between anger at his prolonged absence, skepticism about his real motives, and the possibility of forgiveness. And all this is weighing on him at once as he considers the possibility he might have bladder cancer.
The resolution is decidedly messy, as everything does, in fact, change. But following Zack through his decisions — both good and poor — and Tropper's acumen for explaining them, make Everything Changes just an out-and-out good time. Both male and female readers will enjoy this book. For females, Tropper provides a pitch-perfect peak behind the proverbial curtain of what the hell goes on in the male mind. For dudes, there are several "ah, yeah!" moments where Tropper describes something you may have thought about but aren't able to articulate. Again, at least that was the case for me. Though Everything Changes isn't quite as good as This Is Where I Leave You, it's still a great read — perhaps a good introduction to Tropper if you haven't read him at all.
July 6, 2011
Waiting for Biopsy Results and Other Life's Fun Events
I met Jonathan Tropper at a literary presentation in April, 2011 at Eastern Michigan University. He is a droll man with a singular, but not overpowering, wit. I was duly impressed.
I have liked all of his books. I loved "There is Where I Leave You" and I almost love "Everything Changes." His total talent was apparent in "This is Where....." which, I understand, is in the works for a movie. Tropper writes for both men and women, which makes him extraordinary in plot and character development.
In this book, Zach King, a 32 year old, is engaged to a beautiful, rich woman. He has a middle management job as a middleman in a medium-large corporation. But Zach is anything but middle-of-the-road. In addition to his general angst about marriage and his job, he is in the throes of life-changing consequences. He is the eldest of three boys, his father, Norm, cheated on his mother, Lela and then he abandoned his family. Norm makes an appearance in Zach's life as he is undergoing significant changes. Norm is more than a character. He is a 100% neglectful father, who believes that he may have a chance to ingratiate himself with his three sons by delivering his philosophy and acting super pushy on behalf of his sons' perils. This doesn't really work but it makes an impression.
Norm's entrance coincides with Zach's conflicts about his upcoming marriage and a frightening health scare. I don't know how Tropper can make a bladder biopsy humorous but he does and tops it off with a hilarious chase at the doctor's country club for biopsy results.
The strongest part of this novel is friendship. Tropper makes friendship shine upon Zach. His group of friends, whether dead or alive, is loyal. Of course, there is a love entanglement but more that, there are brilliant scenes of Zach's capability to give unconditional love to children. He can absorb their fears and impart security in the most frightful situations. Tropper can convey love and fear in comedic and tragic circumstances
I met Jonathan Tropper at a literary presentation in April, 2011 at Eastern Michigan University. He is a droll man with a singular, but not overpowering, wit. I was duly impressed.
I have liked all of his books. I loved "There is Where I Leave You" and I almost love "Everything Changes." His total talent was apparent in "This is Where....." which, I understand, is in the works for a movie. Tropper writes for both men and women, which makes him extraordinary in plot and character development.
In this book, Zach King, a 32 year old, is engaged to a beautiful, rich woman. He has a middle management job as a middleman in a medium-large corporation. But Zach is anything but middle-of-the-road. In addition to his general angst about marriage and his job, he is in the throes of life-changing consequences. He is the eldest of three boys, his father, Norm, cheated on his mother, Lela and then he abandoned his family. Norm makes an appearance in Zach's life as he is undergoing significant changes. Norm is more than a character. He is a 100% neglectful father, who believes that he may have a chance to ingratiate himself with his three sons by delivering his philosophy and acting super pushy on behalf of his sons' perils. This doesn't really work but it makes an impression.
Norm's entrance coincides with Zach's conflicts about his upcoming marriage and a frightening health scare. I don't know how Tropper can make a bladder biopsy humorous but he does and tops it off with a hilarious chase at the doctor's country club for biopsy results.
The strongest part of this novel is friendship. Tropper makes friendship shine upon Zach. His group of friends, whether dead or alive, is loyal. Of course, there is a love entanglement but more that, there are brilliant scenes of Zach's capability to give unconditional love to children. He can absorb their fears and impart security in the most frightful situations. Tropper can convey love and fear in comedic and tragic circumstances
June 1, 2009
Two summers ago I was blown away by Jonathan Tropper's "The Book of Joe." So I've been looking forward to reading Tropper's third novel for many, many moons. And guess what? Tropper does not disappoint; his tome, EVERYTHING CHANGES, successfully captures that funny/poignant hybrid characteristic of this very gifted writer.
Thirty-two-year-old Zack King finds himself in quite the conundrum. He hates his job; he's engaged to to a beautiful, adoring woman, yet finds himself hopelessly attracted to his late best friend's widow; Norm, his eccentric, estranged, Viagra-popping father, suddenly appears after years of separation, wreaking havoc in his wake; and maybe, just maybe, Zack may have bladder cancer. Put all these ingredients together and suddenly, as Zack laments, everything changes. Tropper is wonderful at depicting a life going south in a hurry, and in customary fashion, Zack's wheels come off, with hilarious consequences.
I had a few problems with the book, to be sure. Zack often comes across as a whining, petulant, metrosexual ("Come on, Zack, grow a pair!" I would find myself saying out loud, on more than one occasion.), and the ending was far too syrupy for my tastes. But who cares? Tropper's prose, his ability to take the reader inside the head of his protagonist, is absolutely flawless and riveting. And the writing is powerful enough to have you laughing at one moment, then wiping away a tear, the next. If an author can pull that off, that's writing as good as it gets, if you ask me.
Jonathan Tropper is an exceptional writer; EVERYTHING CHANGES is an exceptional book. Highly recommended.
Thirty-two-year-old Zack King finds himself in quite the conundrum. He hates his job; he's engaged to to a beautiful, adoring woman, yet finds himself hopelessly attracted to his late best friend's widow; Norm, his eccentric, estranged, Viagra-popping father, suddenly appears after years of separation, wreaking havoc in his wake; and maybe, just maybe, Zack may have bladder cancer. Put all these ingredients together and suddenly, as Zack laments, everything changes. Tropper is wonderful at depicting a life going south in a hurry, and in customary fashion, Zack's wheels come off, with hilarious consequences.
I had a few problems with the book, to be sure. Zack often comes across as a whining, petulant, metrosexual ("Come on, Zack, grow a pair!" I would find myself saying out loud, on more than one occasion.), and the ending was far too syrupy for my tastes. But who cares? Tropper's prose, his ability to take the reader inside the head of his protagonist, is absolutely flawless and riveting. And the writing is powerful enough to have you laughing at one moment, then wiping away a tear, the next. If an author can pull that off, that's writing as good as it gets, if you ask me.
Jonathan Tropper is an exceptional writer; EVERYTHING CHANGES is an exceptional book. Highly recommended.
June 2, 2014
I needed a solid, entertaining audio book to get me through the last crazy weeks of school and found it in Jonathan Tropper. Everything Changes is certainly not his best work, but any Tropper is good reading.
The story felt familiar -- Zach is a 30-something Jewish guy with serious father issues who faces a life-altering crisis. Drama, humor and fist-fights follow. It's the standard Tropper mix but I'm OK with that. Sometimes I want something familiar and not too challenging.
I like that Tropper's protagonists, for all their self-pity, are smart, acerbic and disarmingly self-aware. I wanted to know his story.
Scott Brick does a great job with the narration, doing enough to distinguish all the voices without overacting.
Recommend.
The story felt familiar -- Zach is a 30-something Jewish guy with serious father issues who faces a life-altering crisis. Drama, humor and fist-fights follow. It's the standard Tropper mix but I'm OK with that. Sometimes I want something familiar and not too challenging.
I like that Tropper's protagonists, for all their self-pity, are smart, acerbic and disarmingly self-aware. I wanted to know his story.
Scott Brick does a great job with the narration, doing enough to distinguish all the voices without overacting.
Recommend.
May 31, 2011
I've decided to override my inner snob and to give this four stars.
Every now and then, I need something light and readable but not too stupid. Of the two Jonathan Tropper books I've read, both fit that bill.
Sure, I can point to flaws in this book, particularly Mary Sue style wish fulfillment. One major plot point here is that the protagonist, an average guy, is caught between two beautiful and kind Mary Sue-like women, both of whom want him and are willing to forgive a great deal. Whatever.
But there are other plot points that are more interesting. The protagonist may have cancer, which shakes him up and causes him to make all kinds of abrupt changes in his life. The protagonist's deadbeat dad resurfaces, determined to make amends despite his sons' ambivalence (to put it mildly) about his reentry. The way these issues are handled may not be worthy of a truly literary read, but they're also not superficial or pat even if some things work out a bit too neatly in the end.
I'm not telling anyone they must go out and read this. But if you want to kick back and relax, say on the beach or at the pool, you could definitely do worse.
Every now and then, I need something light and readable but not too stupid. Of the two Jonathan Tropper books I've read, both fit that bill.
Sure, I can point to flaws in this book, particularly Mary Sue style wish fulfillment. One major plot point here is that the protagonist, an average guy, is caught between two beautiful and kind Mary Sue-like women, both of whom want him and are willing to forgive a great deal. Whatever.
But there are other plot points that are more interesting. The protagonist may have cancer, which shakes him up and causes him to make all kinds of abrupt changes in his life. The protagonist's deadbeat dad resurfaces, determined to make amends despite his sons' ambivalence (to put it mildly) about his reentry. The way these issues are handled may not be worthy of a truly literary read, but they're also not superficial or pat even if some things work out a bit too neatly in the end.
I'm not telling anyone they must go out and read this. But if you want to kick back and relax, say on the beach or at the pool, you could definitely do worse.
October 17, 2012
First review and I am not sure I am doing this correctly or even if there is a "correct" way to do things. This is the second book I have read by Jonathan Tropper and I am anticipating reading his other novels. Often I can really, really enjoy a book - I mean really like it- but it is fairly rare when I read something that actually takes me somewhere else entirely. With some authors, you just feel a kinship through their style. With Tropper, it's a bit masochistic...in a good way. He tells his story with a lot of humor and sorrow. His writing, his talent for description, for really NAILING IT is something else. I mean, if this man can make me at least feel like I understand what it's like to be a male widow (for instance, as in another Tropper book) he is doing something right by me. Bittersweet stuff and you know how we women like bittersweet for some godforsaken reason.
And that was more a review on the author. This book was thoroughly enjoyable and I looked forward to reading it any (albeit limited) chance I got.
And that was more a review on the author. This book was thoroughly enjoyable and I looked forward to reading it any (albeit limited) chance I got.
August 19, 2008
This being my second foray into the writings of Jonathan Tropper (the first being How to Talk to a Widower) I continue to be impressed by his writing.
While there are definite similarities in plot between the two books-- conflicted male who thinks his life is in order is faced with adversity and the true uncertainties of life to test his limits-- there are enough differences and the characters in Everything Changes are flawed enough to be believable and likable and there are still enough differences between his works to not give the impression that each book is just a re-tread of each previous book.
Zack King is not always a likable character but he's believable enough that even when you may not particularly like him, even when you want to reach into the book and throttle some sense into the lad, you care enough about him to keep reading and learn whether or not he'll ever figure it out on his own and still come out on top.
While there are definite similarities in plot between the two books-- conflicted male who thinks his life is in order is faced with adversity and the true uncertainties of life to test his limits-- there are enough differences and the characters in Everything Changes are flawed enough to be believable and likable and there are still enough differences between his works to not give the impression that each book is just a re-tread of each previous book.
Zack King is not always a likable character but he's believable enough that even when you may not particularly like him, even when you want to reach into the book and throttle some sense into the lad, you care enough about him to keep reading and learn whether or not he'll ever figure it out on his own and still come out on top.
December 1, 2013
Jonathan Tropper's dysfunctional characters drew me in quickly and were laugh-out-loud funny throughout the book resulting in a quick one day read. As a big fan of this author, am looking forward to receiving the two remaining novels I haven't read, How to Talk to a Widower and Plan B that I ordered today. Definitely recommend!
January 11, 2025
Another wonderful book by Jonathan Tropper! It made me laugh and it made me cry - loved it!
May 6, 2022
A minha opinião em vídeo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvSvh...
January 30, 2022
I think I have now read all of Jonathan Tropper's books and they have all been great in my opinion. Everything changes is about a guy in his mid 30's in a deadend job who is about to get married to a beautiful women while being in love with the widow of his best friend. While this is going on in his life, his deadbeat dad comes back into the families life. They hadn't seen him in around 25 years. One of his brothers is in a punk rock band and clearly has issues with his dad. His other brother is a special needs person. I liked the way Tropper handled this issue. Very touching at times. This is the first Tropper book that has brought me to tears. He uses the English language well. He is laugh out loud funny...even when dealing with difficult topics. Some have critisized his writing for being a little too erotic at times, so don't read this book if that bothers you. He is a typical middle aged man. Anyway a really good book that I recommend to anyone. My favorite line from the book was, "The reason wisdom is meant to be imparted is because you acquire it only after it's too late to apply to yourself", I also enjoyed this one, "Consequences are a concept for the sober"...that one rang a little too true to me...The book can be summed up by this simple statement: "...there are better things than plans upon which to build your life."
June 7, 2012
A book about love. Not the soppy kind, or the romantic kind - but the soul fulfilling, complete and utter love that is between parent and child, between siblings, between friends, between parents and yes, between soul mates.
Set around a male, in New York, yet as a female, in rural England, I could relate to Zack's feelings, confusions and journey: which must mean an awesome author, when you end up wanting to be the main character.
It left me feeling sad that I don't have the complexities of the relationships that he has, or that I no longer have the youth and life that he has. It left me feeling hopeful that there is more out there.
Just don't read Chapter Seven in a coffee shop whilst eating a cream scone - blubbering by yourself into a book, whilst trying to eat clotted cream piled on a scone is not a good look, and will get noticed. Thank God everyone was British around me so nothing was said.
Would recommend to men and women alike. Get ready to think, contemplate your own life, and yearn for someone elses.
Set around a male, in New York, yet as a female, in rural England, I could relate to Zack's feelings, confusions and journey: which must mean an awesome author, when you end up wanting to be the main character.
It left me feeling sad that I don't have the complexities of the relationships that he has, or that I no longer have the youth and life that he has. It left me feeling hopeful that there is more out there.
Just don't read Chapter Seven in a coffee shop whilst eating a cream scone - blubbering by yourself into a book, whilst trying to eat clotted cream piled on a scone is not a good look, and will get noticed. Thank God everyone was British around me so nothing was said.
Would recommend to men and women alike. Get ready to think, contemplate your own life, and yearn for someone elses.
March 7, 2010
Well - at last one of Tropper's works worked for me. This one is just as guilty of his usual adult boy fantasy world - nice cars, beautiful women, descriptions of whom I always find offensive not to mention surreal, a tug between two to die for woman both of whom, he is surprised, like him, the usual sitcom moments and snappy one liners, the dysfunctional families, blah blah blah. Still, though - in this particular one, Zach is torn between not just two women but two sorts of love, and I actually felt this was conveyed well. And his over the top overcompensating dad was something I could appreciate despite its hyperbole. In all, another good space out read with more insight than his usual.
April 30, 2024
It’s unfortunate when an author thinks the most development his female characters deserve in a novel are descriptions of their breasts, lips, and butts. Even worse is when his portrayal of a “flawed” woman is one who is “pudgey” like literally, WTF. I really hated this and found it pointless and honestly, pathetic! #angstylady
September 16, 2019
Another JT book that was exactly what I love and needed - it had me laughing a ton, but also got me in the feels so many times, and this is why Jonathan Tropper is one of my faves! I think there's only one book left of his I haven't read, and while one part of me wants to start it TONIGHT, the other part doesn't want to yet, and instead wants to keep it on deck and savor that I still have one there waiting for me, maybe for a time when I'm in a book funk I need to get out of, because none of his books have ever let me down. 😀
October 13, 2022
Very funny and easy to read. Great ending.
March 13, 2018
Great book. What makes Tropper’s books so enjoyable is that they are grounded in reality. Won’t be long until I continue with some of his other works.
August 27, 2016
This book is a slow burn. At first I found it a pleasant read but below the very high standards set by the other three Tropper novels I've read. There were things that seemed a little generic and cliched about some of the initial characterizations and some of the humor felt a bit stale (mostly the "wacky/dirty old man" stuff with Norm) despite Tropper's characteristically great prose.
However as I read I realized how emotionally powerful I found the various plotlines. Protagonist Zack is dealing with an attraction to his best friend's widow despite his engagement to a seemingly perfect woman, the reappearance of his eccentric, absentee father Norm, his grief over his friend's death, occupational dissatisfaction and potential medical issues all within a very short period of time.
So as I read I became steadily more engaged by these characters and the finely developed relationships between them. The romantic, platonic and familial relationships were all pretty well drawn. Tropper's writing is often wry and/or sarcastic but he is not afraid of earnestly addressing emotional issues. Tropper is very good at balancing humor and sentiment.
The ending is very gratifying. In particular I really liked how Tropper deals with the issue of parental abandonment and the psychology of a parent like Norm. Under the spoiler tag I am going to discuss my feelings about this aspect of the plot in more detail, covering events through the end of the book.
However as I read I realized how emotionally powerful I found the various plotlines. Protagonist Zack is dealing with an attraction to his best friend's widow despite his engagement to a seemingly perfect woman, the reappearance of his eccentric, absentee father Norm, his grief over his friend's death, occupational dissatisfaction and potential medical issues all within a very short period of time.
So as I read I became steadily more engaged by these characters and the finely developed relationships between them. The romantic, platonic and familial relationships were all pretty well drawn. Tropper's writing is often wry and/or sarcastic but he is not afraid of earnestly addressing emotional issues. Tropper is very good at balancing humor and sentiment.
The ending is very gratifying. In particular I really liked how Tropper deals with the issue of parental abandonment and the psychology of a parent like Norm. Under the spoiler tag I am going to discuss my feelings about this aspect of the plot in more detail, covering events through the end of the book.
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