The Corrections

Every once in a while you come across a book that reminds why it’s worth reading in the first place. Sometimes you get ahead of the curve and get to share this joy with the world. Other times, such as this, you find out that everyone read the book ten years ago, and that the authors next novel is all that they want to talk about. Well, screw them! I’ve just read the book and I want to talk about this one.

The Corrections tells the cross generational story of a mid-western couple and their three children (Incidentally, the new book - which is so trendy right now - only features a family with two children. That’s one point to me.). It focuses on the various members of the family in the lead up to a final Christmas together, from the college professor whose life crumbles after a 4 day sex and drugs binge with a student to the chef who sleeps with her boss’s wife. And her boss. I should point out not every subplot in the book involves sex, though I will admit at times it can seem that way.

The true star of the show is the author, Jonathon Franzen. He is currently being proclaimed the saviour of modern fiction with his new book, Freedom, but it’s the Corrections that made him a star. The stories fold around each other, initially only concerning themselves with the character involved. As the book progresses, however, the themes merge, revealing the book as a story about responsibility, communication, and growth. The level of work that went into this makes it understandable that it took him so long to write a follow up.

What none of this explains, is why everyone read this before me and no-one thought to mention it. The Guardian made it perfectly clear to me that I am a literary ignoramus when talking about his new book. Rather than adopting this intellectual snobbishness, and laughing at any of my faithful blog readers who haven’t read the book, I’m going to take a different stand. I’m going to say that The Corrections is a wonderfully written book, that consistently delighted me. I’m going to say that you, too, should read it. But me saying that is pointless, isn’t it? As we both know, you, my dear readers, have already read this book, and you would much rather I had just spent the last 391 words of your time talking about Freedom.