This Is Where I Leave You

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of pregnancy loss and a nonconsensual sexual encounter.

Judd is the first-person narrator and protagonist of the novel. He is the middle Foxman brother, a year and a half younger than Paul and nine years older than Phillip. Judd never felt that he stood out among his family. As a young man, he was nervous, self-conscious, and had wild curly hair. He had one close friend in high school. His first girlfriend was Alice Taylor, who later married Paul. Judd’s next crush was Penny Moore, who became a close friend, though they never actually dated. When Judd found the courage to approach Jen, a blonde girl on his college campus whom he considered well out of his league, Judd fell in love instantly. He focused his life on pleasing her, which meant moving to the suburbs of New York City, wearing gifts she bought him that he didn’t like, and spending time with her friends. Judd worked for a shock-jock radio personality whom he didn’t like or respect, but the job paid well. Judd acknowledges that there were annoyances and frequent fights in his marriage, as well as a waning of passion, but Judd is committed to monogamy, and Jen’s affair with Wade is a betrayal and a shock.