Fleishman is in Trouble is a modern take on marriage, divorce, and the world of online dating.
Toby Fleishman is a caring father who has recently left a nightmare of a marriage. His wife Rachel is a high-flying publishing agent who works long hours, treats her staff appallingly and neglects their children.
Rachel earns a lot more money than Toby (a physician) and constantly reminds him that she bankrolls their lavish Manhattan lifestyle (as reassuringly hideous a world as you could imagine). Despite this their children Hannah and Solly adore their mother and the couple share the care of them. Toby is enjoying the bewildering world of online dating and is astounded and delighted that many women want to meet him for brief encounters.
And then Rachel goes missing. Toby's life is turned upside-down and he juggles children, work, and his anger at Rachel for disappearing.
The marriage break up has also prompted Toby to reconnect with his two oldest friends: carefree and never married Seth, and Libby; a writer and harassed mother in the suburbs and narrator of the story.
As a (cynical) reader, alarm bells go off as the story progresses: can Rachel really be as twisted and evil as Toby describes? Is Toby really so perfect? And why is he not trying to find his ex-wife, at least for the sake of his children?
Perspective is everything and eventually Rachel's story is told.
Taffy Brodesser-Akner is a born and bred New York journalist known for her gently satirical interviews of the rich and famous. This is her first novel, written after feeling the frustration of being told that writing a piece on the modern state of divorce is no longer relevant.
Fleishman is in Trouble combines a contemporary view of age-old universal themes of love, disappointment and loss. A sympathetic and funny gaze at the human condition make this a punchy read.
Reviewed by Katrina
Catalogue link: Fleishman is in Trouble
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