Brodesser-Akner is not in Trouble
An insightful discussion and review of the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, Fleishman is in Trouble, the debut novel by journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner.
Fleishman is in Trouble follows Toby Fleishman, a man recently separated from his wife, as he is flung into new singleness. Having grown up short and fat, Fleishman's insecurities render him pleasantly surprised when his phone is unexpectedly flooded with messages from women showing him every inch of skin possible. However, when his ex, Rachel, leaves the children with him, goes to a retreat and doesn't return, the narrative begins to explore, rant and rage about issues of marriage and Rachel's lack of commitment to family matters... understandably, right?
The book is written with a framed narrative (meaning there is a story within the narrative of the book), as Toby's and Rachel's story is told from the narrator's perspective, Toby's good friend and journalist Elizabeth. In choosing to structure the plot this way, Brodesser-Akner impeccably shows every facade of the story, revealing each side in a way that makes you question the views you held before and cleverly adopts a game of devil's advocate. The use of Elizabeth's not only diplomacy, but also relationship to the protagonist, meant we got an unfiltered account of the characters thoughts whilst also being reminded again and again that this was only one aspect of the debate.
Although the exploration of a jewish protagonist, Toby Fleishman, isn't new, the witty rawness of the narration of his thoughts and opinions are refreshingly funny and, at times, provide a form of shock therapy that I have yet to read in other debut novels. Brodesser-Akner seems to pull out a chair and make herself comfy within the realms of the uncomfortable - she invites you to be an observer to the narrative just as our narrator, Elizabeth (Libby) does.
"Brodesser-Akner seems to pull out a chair and make herself comfy within the realms of the uncomfortable
The writing style and structure are what allow the character driven narrative to fall slightly short on the plot, because the characters assume the centre stage. Rachel's character development didn't blossom like a flower, rather it weathered the storms thrown at it by the multiple opinions of other characters. I really enjoyed these harsh opinions on Rachel as a working mum. Reading this as a young woman, my eyes were opened to the reality that I am sometimes complicit in the stereotypes that working mums face on a daily basis from all positions, including the people who think they support them. It also was interesting to read Rachel's positioning in a male-centric narrative and understand that her role in the book was slightly diminished. Was this perhaps a reflection of Brodesser-Akner's own annoyance at a woman's position within marriage and society as a whole?
Brodesser-Akner does not hold back on her repetition. Reading the areas that she repeats (especially towards the end) gave me goosebumps when it was used well. However, I cannot applaud her for every one of those moments. Her repetition of the word "or" by the end frankly... got on my nerves at best. Nevertheless, this novel delighted me and sparked joy for structure being used to tell a story as well as the words. I will be watching for more of Brodesser-Akner's work, to see what themes and issues her follow up to this unfiltered novel will touch upon.
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