BY SERA ULUSOY (MAN/IV) sera.ulusoy@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
I really believe that 2014 was like the year of “movies based on books.” Now what do I mean by that? Well, truth be told, I think that last year was the year of the movie industry in general, and you can actually tell this even by looking at the films that have and have not been nominated for the Academy Awards this year. Many movies that were expected to have received nominations in fact failed to do so—which stems not only from the fact that there have been too many good movies for all of them to be nominated for each category, but also, according to some, from the fact that the committee is supposedly biased and so on. But overall, I have to say I do not think that I have ever seen so many film adaptations of novels gathered together and released within a single year. From “The Maze Runner” to “Gone Girl” to “The Giver” to “Winter’s Tale” to “Wild,” I can count at least 30 movies based on novels that were released last year. Come to think of it, I guess this was the reason why I was quite excited about last year’s movies in general—that feeling you get when a novel you were emotionally invested in is finally introduced to a wider audience, because, let’s face it, the number of people who watch movies is much higher than those who prefer to read books.
Now, about the title. For some reason, I love Jason Bateman. Not because he is a phenomenal actor, because he certainly is not compared to the likes of Robert De Niro or Sean Penn or even Christian Bale— who portrays all his characters so “believably” as a method actor—but he has this certain charisma that exudes quirkiness as well as confidence. And I love Tina Fey. She is the epitome of someone who is quirky yet somewhat charming—she is funny and weird and annoying all at the same time. So what do the pair have in common? Well, they starred in the movie called “This Is Where I Leave You,” which is based on the book of the same title, albeit with some minor changes.
Since I haven’t seen the movie yet, I won’t be able to comment on it, but I bet it was good, even though IMDb has, yet again, discouraged many people from seeing it because of the site’s rather ridiculous rating system. (I’m sorry, but in what world can “The Shawshank Redemption” be regarded as the best movie ever—sure, it’s great, but the best? Come on, IMDb.) Hence, I will only talk about how essential it is for you to read this beautifully and annoyingly realistic novel. I don’t know if you have ever come across the type of novel that is in fact so tragic but somehow makes you feel more optimistic than ever, or at least makes you smile more often after you finish reading it. “This Is Where I Leave You” is that kind of book.
For those of you who haven’t read it yet, beware, as I am about to give some spoilers—albeit not very significant ones. The book commences with the main character and narrator, Judd Altman, providing us some details about his recent separation from his wife. There is, in fact, an unpleasant reason behind this; his wife has been cheating on him with his somewhat cocky boss—who, by the way, is portrayed in the movie by the adorable Dax Shepard. And on top of it all, he is confronted with this in the harshest possible way—he catches the two “in action.” To add to the pain, he is dealing with his father, who has been ill for a very long time, passing away, which sets the incidents of the plot in motion. His father asks his four kids, including Judd, to sit shiva—or at least they are told to do so by their mother, portrayed by Jane Fonda in the movie. By the way, for those of you who may not know, shiva is the mourning period (mainly for first-degree relatives) in Judaism, and usually lasts around seven days, i.e., a week—oh, and I learned from the novel that the word shiva actually comes from the Hebrew word “shiv’ah,” which means seven. Anyway, “sitting shiva” requires first-degree relatives to “sit” and stay in the house of the deceased for about a week or so, greeting those who pay visits of condolence and bring food for the mourners (this is not a necessity as far as I know, but it is one of the Jewish traditions, and as you may know, they are renowned for their culinary skills and gatherings around food in general). The novel very vividly depicts how each individual deals with loss, the pain it causes and the things that death causes us to think about. We rethink our lives; maybe we are forced to deal with our past or face things we may regret and take action to absolve ourselves of those regrets. We all know everything comes down to this in the end, but I guess losses bring out various emotions that we mostly prefer to avoid in our daily lives. After all, nobody wants to be constantly reminded of the fact that life is short, but losses tend to remind you of that—that we are not in control of certain things that take place in our lives.
However, despite how tragic I am making it sound right now, or how it may indeed make you question your own life or your own decisions, it is truly one of the most positive books I have ever read. The author, Jonathan Tropper, gives you some subtle and some not-so-subtle “hopes.” You have the reuniting brothers, and a baby on the way—which in itself means a new beginning, a new life and something to be hopeful for. Then you have the realizations and the commencements of new adventures, and you have the “love”—whether it is Judd’s brother’s and mother’s new love interests, or the love he has for his family, you are constantly reminded of the significance of love, collaboration, friendship and other related concepts throughout the book.
Honestly, I could read this book again and again and not get bored. And I read it at a time when I needed more positivity—not around me but more like in me, you know, letting go of the negative feelings you have and focusing on the positive. I hope that this book will be one of the first ones to pop up in your mind when you have enough time to do some reading for pleasure. I think you will enjoy it very much.