Crossroads

Here we see Jonathan Franzen, the master of the family novel, at it again. Like all of Franzen’s books, this one is both hilarious and poignant. Though it tips the scale at nearly 600 pages, I blew through it in a day or two, amazed by Franzen’s plot-making abilities and his keen insights into the human condition.

Bonus points for The Corrections and Freedom, either of which could easily have made this list, too. 

Most of the family members in this novel—father, mother, and four teenage kids—are painfully at odds. Most of them don’t much like most of the others, but they also don’t have much understanding of one another’s inner worlds. As readers, we do—one character at a time, in multiplying layers of wounds, desires, and needs that grow into a complex picture of humanness.

I love it when a character who is underestimated or despised from the outside—which Marion, the frumpy, near-invisible wife and mother, certainly is—later becomes the point of view character, and we finally get to see who they really… show more.

My aunt-in-law, a well-known poet, recommended this book to me largely because the main character was a pastor, and I grew up as the son of a preacher man.

Franzen expertly portrays the complexities of individual characters’ psyches, as well as the intricacies of family dynamics. Every character is three-dimensional with a backstory, relatable foibles, and the full suite of human strengths and weaknesses.

Whether you grew up as a preacher’s kid or with no religion at all, you’ll find a lot that pulls you into this story, start to finish. 

For almost 25 hours, l was riveted by David Pittu narrating the story of the Hildebrandts: the pastor father, the oddball mother, the forthright son, the uber-popular daughter, and perhaps the most interesting character, the too-sensitive, and too-smart Perry. 

If you have a choice to read or listen to this book, go for the audio. Pittu’s performance matches what is demanded by this novel, which is what you’d expect from Franzen: hilarious and horrifying, densely written and yet easily digestible. The nexus of the novel snuck up on me, and once I was inside, I couldn’t wait to see where… show more.

Vogue praises this as a "magnificent portrait of an American family on the brink" by painting a story of a typical 1970’s family that is influenced by the challenging morals of the time. Exploiting a generational perspective that the breaking of old taboos leads to a better world, this novel drags out tired themes of egoistic flirtation and personal searches for fulfillment to the detriment of others involved, such as the family unit. 

The mother of the story is perhaps the only sympathetic character waking up to the fact that she’s buried herself in calories while avoiding truths she has… show more.