This Is Where I Leave You

Photographs in the novel preserve moments that hold an emotional valence for the viewer, often spurring a new understanding or turning point. They become symbols of the power of memory. Judd acknowledges that he still loves his wife when he chooses to take from their home a photograph of Jen on their honeymoon. He feels replaced by Wade in his life when he notices that pictures of him and Jen together are missing from their bedroom. The Foxman brothers begin to reconnect after they discover a picture of the three of them playing in the living room and realize their father is in the picture in the form of a reflection in the glass doors of a breakfront, a cabinet typically used to store dishes. Judd accepts that his mother and father were loyal and in love—and that their marriage included an active sex life—when he sees the picture of his father carrying his new bride on their wedding day. These photographs allow Judd to come to terms with what he is feeling and accept how his current circumstances have changed. The feeling of vibrancy, love, and aliveness in those photographs still exists for the brief moment that a memory is contemplated, signaling the connection between past and present.