Fixed
I feel like I should apologize for my absence, although in reality I've had lengthier gaps between posts. Reading this novel has made that absence seem longer than it really was. I don't keep up with current/modern fiction the way many rabid readers do (unless you count YA literature, which doesn't usually make the cut). Normally I keep away from best-sellers - not out of a misplaced sense of pretention, but because I find the idea so daunting and potentially unpleasant. Adult contemporary fiction, in my personal experience, just isn't as fulfilling.
Enid Lambert - proud of her three grown children while also critical of every life choice they make, exasperated with a husband who is slowly succumbing to Parkinson's disease - believes she only wants one thing: a Christmas together before Albert is lost to them. That proves easier said than done, as all three are experiencing semi-private life crises themsevles and have little desire to return to their Midwestern child home. The oldest, Gary, struggles with depression and a selfish wife; middle son Chip is a disgraced ex-teacher obsessed with revenge in screenplay form; and Denise has a complicated relationship with an apparently perfect married couple. Their lives have taken them to unexpected places that all prove disappointing in one way or another. None of them quite know what to make of their personal relationships with their parents, either: Enid gives until she drowns them with guilt, and Albert withdraws to conserve his strength.
This was a perversely fascinating read: while I had the vague sense that this book was quote-unquote good for me - a reading experience to wear as a badge of honor - my enjoyment varied greatly throughout. When a novel puts the importance of character sketching over plot, it runs the risk of turning readers off if the characters in question fail to capture attention. Here, we get to know each member of the family Lambert intimately - their quirks, their flaws, their values and thought processes. We see how Enid and Albert's separate influences shaped three different personalities: Gary is take-charge and alienating, Chip is passionate and rebellious, and Denise is savvy and sardonic. Franzen continually sacrifices plot mobility to dwell on his characters' weaknesses and occasional attempts to be better people. As a result, he deftly notes the oddities of personality flaws and his characters all come across as sympathetic, if for brief periods of time; but as a family unit, their lack of cohesion goes beyond "dysfunctional."
The choice of the Midwest as a setting seems stagnant and uninteresting. Franzen's observations of the American heartland come across as rather pat: the people are conservative and fond of comfort; there is little culture; change happens slowly, if it happens at all. This isn't particularly enlightening, and by the end no new conclusion or epiphany is reached. It serves mostly to contrast with the vaguely liberal places Chip and Denise live. This was the one aspect of the book that I disliked.
However, Franzen is a clever and bold writer. He goes into depth describing Albert's experience dealing with Parkinson's - sometimes alienating, sometimes trippy, and sometimes heartbreaking. A theme of metaphorical war evolves organically, beginning with the opposition of Albert and Enid's prized possessions and popping up in relationships - how Enid tries to manipulate others and deploy allies to get others on her side, for example. It all culminates in a real coup in a European country that finds Chip stranded. And I was incredibly impressed with how the ending was able to rope me back in and get me invested in the characters. It may surprise readers how some change and grow, and how others are subbornly static.
Family, according to Franzen, is not so much a unit as it is an artists' colony: each member strives separately, makes decisions separately, and only feels love out of obligation. Still, obligation can be a powerful agent, and loyalty - though prickly and sometimes based on the smallest of gestures - can be a great attraction. It can be a soothing, if temporary, balm. Rating: 4 FDA non-certified uppers out of 5.
This was a perversely fascinating read: while I had the vague sense that this book was quote-unquote good for me - a reading experience to wear as a badge of honor - my enjoyment varied greatly throughout. When a novel puts the importance of character sketching over plot, it runs the risk of turning readers off if the characters in question fail to capture attention. Here, we get to know each member of the family Lambert intimately - their quirks, their flaws, their values and thought processes. We see how Enid and Albert's separate influences shaped three different personalities: Gary is take-charge and alienating, Chip is passionate and rebellious, and Denise is savvy and sardonic. Franzen continually sacrifices plot mobility to dwell on his characters' weaknesses and occasional attempts to be better people. As a result, he deftly notes the oddities of personality flaws and his characters all come across as sympathetic, if for brief periods of time; but as a family unit, their lack of cohesion goes beyond "dysfunctional."
The choice of the Midwest as a setting seems stagnant and uninteresting. Franzen's observations of the American heartland come across as rather pat: the people are conservative and fond of comfort; there is little culture; change happens slowly, if it happens at all. This isn't particularly enlightening, and by the end no new conclusion or epiphany is reached. It serves mostly to contrast with the vaguely liberal places Chip and Denise live. This was the one aspect of the book that I disliked.
However, Franzen is a clever and bold writer. He goes into depth describing Albert's experience dealing with Parkinson's - sometimes alienating, sometimes trippy, and sometimes heartbreaking. A theme of metaphorical war evolves organically, beginning with the opposition of Albert and Enid's prized possessions and popping up in relationships - how Enid tries to manipulate others and deploy allies to get others on her side, for example. It all culminates in a real coup in a European country that finds Chip stranded. And I was incredibly impressed with how the ending was able to rope me back in and get me invested in the characters. It may surprise readers how some change and grow, and how others are subbornly static.
Family, according to Franzen, is not so much a unit as it is an artists' colony: each member strives separately, makes decisions separately, and only feels love out of obligation. Still, obligation can be a powerful agent, and loyalty - though prickly and sometimes based on the smallest of gestures - can be a great attraction. It can be a soothing, if temporary, balm. Rating: 4 FDA non-certified uppers out of 5.
love this book, read it when I was in city college
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