Review of Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

*Fleishman is in Trouble* by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (2019). Published by Random House.

If you’re new here and found this blog through the mysterious powers of the Internet, welcome! My name is Ashley, and I’m a dedicated reader and movie watcher who thought to turn this website into a little digital archive of sorts.

I was watching and reading so much that I wanted to keep track of it all, so I began blogging as a way to keep these books as memories somewhat forever.

That said, I recently fell into a period of unemployment, and this blog was a solace for me. Not only was it a way to make a little bit of money when there was nothing else coming my way really, but I found, after getting my finances in order, that I enjoyed sitting down to write blog posts when I had nothing else to do in my day.

I’ve been dubbing this period as funemployment while I look for a job, but the job market isn’t looking too great right now. Regardless, I spend a lot of time in my local library, and because I am such a big fan of simple living, I enjoy the little moments where I can find a book for free here or there, while also supporting such a critical aspect of my community.

It was while wandering my library, in the depths of the massive fiction section, that I discovered a copy of Fleishman is in Trouble. I remember when this book came out and everyone was going nuts for it online, but I had no interest in it at the time.

But curiosity hit as I was staring at it on the shelf, and I decided to give it a chance because now I had way too much free time to read books. This ended up being one of my books I would specifically read quickly, as the writing is quick and snappy. I can see how this was adapted for television.

Let’s get into the review! I don’t want to ramble too much in the introduction.

After separating from his wife, Toby learns to navigate his new, upside down world.

The main character in this novel is Toby Fleishman, who is pointed out directly in the book’s title. He’s 42 and recently separated from his wife, has two kids, and has a fairly successful career as a doctor. He made all of the money and listened to his wife’s financial demands.

As we see in the novel, their marriage was not really a happy one, and we could dare to say there was a lot of neglect going on between them. For Toby, though, it seemed like the best option he had at the time, especiallly considering before he got here he was considered unattractive and a lot of people turned him down.

His wife and he pass the kids along due to their agreement, and Toby is going through life with his foot on the accelerator. So many women wants him (and probably his money), he goes on strings of dates, and he finds himself being used by other people as he searches for validation.

This leads to a lot of sex at night when the kids aren’t over, but something is about to change when his ex-wife doesn’t pick the kids up one day. He assumes she might’ve gotten caught up in something, but when she straight up disappears and doesn’t seem to be around at all, Toby realizes he’s been ditched and his kids might have to be in his custody.

As the demands of the hospital he works at as a liver specialist picks up, Toby tries to navigate his new romantic endeavors, taking care of his kids, and trying to figure out if his ex-wife landed herself in a situation where she’s dead in a ditch somewhere.

Turns out other people will have spotted his ex-wife on the town, but those who inform them of her new endeavors are of the same breed as her. Aspirational rich, and probably are looking for more gossip rather than helping him upfront.

Most of this novel takes place in the present day, but we do get some insight into the past and how these two met, as well as how Toby got to this point in time, which is definitely something good to include.

I could see an alternate path where we only focus on the present moment, with the past bleeding in here and there, and I think the way the novel takes is a more holistic approach. There’s a huge plot twist towards the end of the novel, which I thought is a brilliant take on this story.

Overall Thoughts

As I mentioned before, the writing style in this book is something that stood out to me the most. The character of Toby is fleshed out really well—he’s the only one, which is what makes the ending of this novel even more brilliant to me. But the writing is bright and snappy, and it moves so well through the different themes.

That said, I don’t think this was a novel for me. I didn’t really care for the characters, especially Toby, and I could understand that we’re meant to be inside his head so much and only get his perspective on the story happening here. It’s certainly a good and unique novel, and well-written, but I’m not its target demographic.

Which is okay, because someone else out there truly loves this book. Neither of us are wrong in our opinion; taste is subjective. I do think this is a good book though, just not for me.

Go and pick this one up if you haven’t already and are interested in it. I think it might be worth a shot if you haven’t had the chance to read it!

Follow me below on Instagram and Goodreads for more.