Book Review-GO READ "The Corrections" by Johnathan Franzen

Good old family fun for you and those thoughts of your loved ones you can't help but have

"The Corrections" is supposed to be one of the best novels of the current century and its author, Johnathan Franzen, is supposed to be one of the best real fiction authors of the century, according to TIME magazine. With such accolades how could I go wrong with the book I'm supposed to enjoy? Well, I had gone into reading it somewhat skeptically knowing very little about the book's plot and some of the gossip surrounding its author. Franzen is widely heralded as one of the greatest living writers but with a widely heralded chip on his shoulder. When Oprah Winfrey chose this book for her book club in 2001 Franzen basically said this holds no honor for him or his work. GASP! So I went into the book only knowing the author is the kind of guy who always adjusts his glasses before speaking.

The story follows a Mid-Western family of five: A daughter, the youngest, who in life constantly finds herself expected to act like the youngest no matter what competent life-choice she makes; a son, the middle child, attempting to be the cool in the family while trying not to be his father; the eldest child, a son who thinks he has got his own life and family so much more in control but finds he is so much like his mother; the patriarch father battling getting old and chronic mental conditions; and the mother who wishes so much more from life and thinks one last Christmas in the hometown St. Jude with the whole family is a wish that is not too difficult for her family to grant. All of these members, the kids who fled to the East Coast and the parents that got stuck behind, try to make this wish happen while they find their lives lacking the corrections they promised themselves they would make.

I tried to not like the book, I really did. The book is dripping with snobbyness as Franzen writes extensively of different aspects of European and American culture, of the Midwestern railroad business, of pharmaceuticals (as though I don't know ANYTHING about Midwestern railroads, c'mon!); it reminded me a lot of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series: books with great main stories but fattened up with massive amounts of descriptive analysis and sub-stories. Regardless, if you're in a family of any kind you're going to love the family in this book. Especially if you're in a family of three. But I'm willing to bet any person can associate their siblings or parents with one of these characters. So having said that (Oh my God, I'm just like Gary) I strongly recommend this book (Or am I like Enid?) to anybody but especially (Can I be like a female character?) to those who have pondered (Man, how can I be like the mother?) about their families and the roles they play in them. Enjoy reading you cherished disappointments