The Book of Joe by Jonathan Trooper

The Book of Joe by Jonathan Trooper is a wonderfully written novel. The words dance together in perfect harmony and create a beautiful piece of work. He does use some big words (that made me want to break out the dictionary) but I think that is what made it so lovely to read. He uses out of the ordinary words to describe what’s happening which makes it more interesting and descriptive.

The story itself is about a guy, Joe, who returns to his hometown after being away for 17 years. He had good reason to stay away. He wrote a best-selling novel (which was turned into a blockbuster movie staring Leonardo DeCaprio) which was loosely based on the people in his hometown and the secrets and tragic events that defined his adolescence. Most of the people in the town were portrayed in a poor light and they are not happy about it. He returns to Bush Falls after his father has a stroke and within the first 24 hours he is there he is verbally abused, has a milkshake thrown in his face, has his life threatened, has copies of his book thrown at his house, and is beat to a pulp at the local bar.

Joe is finally forced to face his past, which is a good thing. There are unresolved issues and issues he didn’t even know existed for him to deal with back in Bush Falls. From his true love to his dying friend- From his so-called family to the legendary Bush Falls High Cougars and their beloved coach- the ghosts of his past are not going to let him get off so easy. It is a great story and really shows you how important it is for you to deal with your past to effectively live in the present and move on to the future. Even though it wasn’t easy, it was just what he needed.

I highly recommend it and give it 4.5 out of 5 stars!