One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper

I have never read this author before but heard his books were good. This was quite amusing and a quick read. I would say it was good, but not great.  The story involves a sad sack kind of guy, Silver, who never even gets a first name in this book. He's divorced from Denise, and estranged from his daughter Casey and hangs out with characters much like himself in an apartment complex. These 40+ year old guys gawk at the college girls and are not particularly sympathetic characters.....not even the protagonist Silver.
His daughter comes to him pregnant - right before she is to start college at an Ivy League school. She's smart, but just had a one night stand with a neighbor boy she has known her whole life.
Anyway, Silver gets sick - he's potentially going to suffer a stroke at any time if he doesn't have a surgery (performed, by the way, by his ex-wife's soon to be husband.)
Yeah, lots of intermingling relationship stuff going on.
On the whole, funny and quick, but nothing to write home about.

The Dissident by Nell Freudenberger

I loved Nell's other book, The Newlyweds, so when I saw this older novel in the Library, I grabbed it. I was not disappointed, but it was not quite as good as The Newlyweds.
Again, the theme deals with the collision of cultures.  The  story takes place in southern California and in China, alternating between past and present.  The main character is a Chinese artist, Yuan Zhao, who is fortunate to be accepted as a visiting artist at a girls' private school near L.A. He is also to have an exhibition at a university.  Supposedly a Chinese dissident and avaunt-garde artist, we guess early on that he is somewhat of an imposter.
Cece Travers, the other main character in the book, is the woman who houses Yuan while he is on his assignment.  She is married to a  psychiatrist, Gordon, but she had an affair with his brother, Phil some years ago.  At the time, Phil was a drifting character, but he hung out with Cece and her two young children, who are now teenagers.
The plot is complicated early on when Phil calls because  he is returning to LA as his play has been selected to be made into a movie. Unfortunately, the subject of the play (to be made into a movie) is the story of his affair with his brother's wife!
Overall, it was a complicated storyline, but entertaining read. I think that Nell Freudenberger is an author to watch....as if I know anything!