After reading three of Jonathan Tropper‘s books, I could not wait to find the fight scene in “Everything Changes,” his 2005 release. After all, a brawl came up somewhere in each of the other books. I knew this one had to have one of those epic scenes that made the main character take a different look at life.

I just had no idea Viagra would be involved.

Zack King, the guy re-assessing everything in his world in the book, didn’t really need the drug, but how it ends up in his system will make you laugh out loud. What happens will also make you a little pensive. That’s what Tropper does so well and explains why he has pretty much rocketed to the top of my favorite novelists list in less than a year.

In the midst of tragedy and uncertainty, Zack knows that he has a few things in his life to rely on. One of them is that he cannot rely on his father, who does not help Zack deal with feelings of romantic confusion, dissatisfaction with his job and the possibility of cancer.

But his father does make Zack realize, whether he likes it or not, that he needs to have a different way of attacking those situations. That kind of leads to the Viagra and the fight, neither of which makes Zack’s life any easier. If that happened, this wouldn’t be a Jonathan Tropper novel.

“This is Where I Leave You,” Tropper’s newest novel, has received rave reviews since its release earlier this month. The author has become a hot commodity. I really hope people discovering him from the newest book will go back and read his four previous efforts. You won’t be disappointed.