Fleishman Is in Trouble: A Novel
A finely observed, timely exploration of marriage, divorce, and the bewildering dynamics of ambition from one of the most exciting writers working today. Toby Fleishman thought he knew what to expect when he and his wife of almost fifteen years separated. He could not have predicted that one day, in the middle of his summer of sexual emancipation, his wife would just drop their two children off at his place and simply not return. As Toby tries to figure out where Rachel went, all while juggling his patients at the hospital, his never-ending parental duties, and his new app-assisted sexual popularity, his tidy narrative of the spurned husband with the too-ambitious wife is his sole consolation. A searing, utterly unvarnished debut, Fleishman Is in Trouble is an insightful, unsettling, often hilarious exploration of a culture trying to navigate the fault lines of an institution that has proven to be worthy of our great wariness and our great hope.
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Community Reviews
Did not enjoy at all. Hated all the characters and felt it didn’t really go anywhere. I’ve been told to watch the show though as that might help chance my perception…
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Generally enjoyed both the chatty feminist writing and the empathic story with a little twist. It felt a little unbalanced because there seems quite a lot of the first part and not enough of the third (?) part to fully develop the character.
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I had high expectations for this book after hearing a few recommendations.
It was unique in terms of the narration. The characters were flawed and 3D. The way it was structured created an undercurrent of mystery and it all doesn’t come together until the final chapter. I love how my sympathies were pushed and pulled throughout the novel.
Ultimately probably a very realistic, hopeful and sad account of life, marriage, work and family dynamics. And the final lines challenge us to be able to hold and somehow accept all of those competing realities at once.
“You could die of the loneliness but you could die of the optimism too; the optimism was just as crushing in the end”
So while I can appreciate a lot in this novel ultimately it didn’t meet my expectations. The first three quarters lagged a bit too much for my liking focusing on a self absorbed character, although perhaps I only realised that at the end. To be fair none of the characters are really likeable .. fully fledged humans after all. Overall, wouldn’t say I enjoyed this book and I wouldn’t necessary recommend it.
It was unique in terms of the narration. The characters were flawed and 3D. The way it was structured created an undercurrent of mystery and it all doesn’t come together until the final chapter. I love how my sympathies were pushed and pulled throughout the novel.
Ultimately probably a very realistic, hopeful and sad account of life, marriage, work and family dynamics. And the final lines challenge us to be able to hold and somehow accept all of those competing realities at once.
“You could die of the loneliness but you could die of the optimism too; the optimism was just as crushing in the end”
So while I can appreciate a lot in this novel ultimately it didn’t meet my expectations. The first three quarters lagged a bit too much for my liking focusing on a self absorbed character, although perhaps I only realised that at the end. To be fair none of the characters are really likeable .. fully fledged humans after all. Overall, wouldn’t say I enjoyed this book and I wouldn’t necessary recommend it.
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