A Book Review: The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

The Corrections. I'll admit I initially found this book a bit of a bore. There's Alfred and Enid. Alfred is an uncompromising father and husband. He has a very stubborn streak, which results in him making some ill-advised decisions that negatively impact the financial situation of his family. Enid is over-involved in her adult children's lives. Their children are Gary, Chip and Denise. Gary is very successful in the world of finance (not Wall Street successful, but he does work for a solid mid tier firm) and yet he suffers from depression and a manipulative wife. Chip was a college professor who lost his job due to an affair with a college student. Nearing poverty level status, he takes on a job in Lithuania, defrauding American investors. Denise is a successful cook who seeks love that often results in negative outcomes.

The story moves back and forth from when Gary, Chip and Denise were children to the 1990s when they are adults and Enid is attempting to get the family together for one last Christmas as she inherently knows that with Alfred suffering from Parkinson's and dementia there won't be many moments left.

As mentioned at the start, I initially found this book a bit of a bore. I didn't really see anything interesting going on. Okay, Alfred and Enid weren't the perfectly fit couple, but they seemed to get along fine. Gary and Denise didn't have perfect lives, but their lives didn't appear horrible. Chip was a black sheep type of character. Whatever. Yet, I kept plugging along in this book, because I'd read how great a book it was. Well, let me say that the last 200 pages hit me like a hammer. The book just comes together in the most painful way as Alfred's life sprints towards his final days. An unknown fact is revealed that shows his deep love for one of his children. Another child is shown to hold a special place in Alfred's heart. This is a book that brings one to tears as the final pages are turned. I'm sure there are many readers out there that loved this book from the first page. It took me a while longer, but in the end I have to say this book is worth your time.