Fleishman Is in Trouble

One of 2020's bestselling novels

by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

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Pub Date 9 Jul 2020 | Archive Date 28 Apr 2020

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Description

'Sharp and wicked, insightful and funny, and then suddenly so touching' DAVID NICHOLLS

'It is a Great Novel . . . It has depth, wit, nuance and life. Heartbreaking and funny' NIGELLA LAWSON

'This is the novel of the summer . . . There is no one that this book isn't for. I can't believe it's a first novel. Pure brilliance' INDIA KNIGHT, THE SUNDAY TIMES

'Could be one of the books of my entire lifetime. I've never felt so seen' GRACE DENT, GUARDIAN

'This book is a work of utter perfection' ELIZABETH GILBERT

THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Finally free from his nightmare marriage, Toby Fleishman is ready for a life of online dating and weekend-only parental duties. But as he optimistically looks to a future that is wildly different from the one he imagined, his life turns upside-down as his ex-wife, Rachel, suddenly disappears.

While Toby tries to find out what happened - juggling work, kids and his new, app-assisted sexual popularity - his tidy narrative of a spurned husband is his sole consolation. But if he ever wants to really understand where Rachel went and what really happened to his marriage, he is going to have to consider that he might not have seen it all that clearly in the first place . . .

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE:

'So sharp' GUARDIAN

'The most astonishingly brilliant Trojan horse of a novel' DOLLY ALDERTON

'Wonderful. Utterly blistering . . . A wildly entertaining, moving story' MARIAN KEYES

'Brimming with wisdom and utterly of this moment . . . Taffy Brodesser-Akner's debut is that rare and delicious treat: a page turner with heft' MARIA SEMPLE

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2020
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL
SHORTLISTED FOR THE FICTION: DÉBUT BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS
RUNNER-UP FOR THE MCKITTERICK PRIZE 2020
FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE/JOHN LEONARD AWARD FOR BEST FIRST BOOK

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9781472267078
PRICE	£8.99 (GBP)
PAGES	384

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Additional Information

Average rating from 27 members

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Featured Reviews

Chitra A, Reviewer

Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction this year, Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s debut novel can come across like an upper scale cushy New York couple facing aggravated marital discord in the midst of a mid life crisis but there’s a great deal more unraveling. Fleishman Is in Trouble is a sharply twisted thrust into the facades of social and individual expectations from marriage, divorce, parenting, motherhood and women with careers.
The main story has Toby Fleishman, a 41-year-old hepatologist as the narrator taking readers through how he has come to be estranged from his high income, highly socially connected wife Rachel. The story plays out from their two kids having been dropped off by Rachel, at the homeToby lives in (but paid for by his wife), with a casual text message that she has gone to an upscale retreat. What unfolds from this point on is a whirl of playing victim; how chasms develop in a marriage bound by children and what is socially expected from a couple; therapy sessions and career battles. A minor character shows up much later but shakes up how the reader has perceived the characters and the narrative.
One might feel tempted to say, ‘oh well! This one talks about posh people and their problems’ but believe me, the brutal honesty that the author digs into to bring us the man-woman roles is something that will stay with you. Recommended only if you are game to reading without taking sides.

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Sinead N, Librarian

I found this book to be multi-layered. It deals with marriage, Familia relationships, male and female viewpoints. I can see why it was so critically acclaimed. It's the type of book that at times can be hard to make headway in, stays with you long after you read the last page. Personally, I think this is a great pick for a library book club and will be purchasing multiple copies for our library.