Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections hooked me early. I became emotionally involved with the Lambert family. There are five in this family plus spouses and friends. But the relationships between the family members is the story. The patriarch, Alfred has Parkinson and invading fast is dementia. His wife, Enid, is a living saint. She tries to hold the family together and put on a brave, happy front. She wants to have one last Christmas as a family together. What a nice thought; is that too much to ask?
It certainly is. Add the human factor in the equation and complication arise. The oldest, Gary, seems like a solid up-coming, family man. But his wife doesn't like his mother, Enid, so the wife refuses to attend the Christmas celebration. Denise, the middle child, is in the middle of being pulled by her newly realization that she's a lesbian, she had just lost her job, and she feels as the only girl, no family, and arguably the most dependable of the family, it's her responsibility to solve the problem of what to do with Mom, if and when, Dad gets put in a home. Lastly, is Chip. He is the most irresponsible of the group, but the most loved by his parents.
Franzen's drawing of each of these characters is masterful. He has the ability to relate people and family dynamics in such a way that all readers can recognize themselves in each character and/or situation. The reader is emotionally drawn into caring for these characters, especially Enid. The Corrections is us. It's America.
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