The Proudfoot Review - Because Opinions Matter...
Jonathan Franzen's consuming novel, The Corrections, tells the spellbinding story of the Lamberts, a Midwestern family, slowly unravelling as the threads that bound them weaken and break with the ravages of time.
Alfred, once a staunch, disciplined patriarchal figure is struggling with the onset of Parkinson's related dementia and as a consequence, becomes withdrawn and reticent to engage with his family, especially his wife Enid.
Enid, a social climbing dilettante, grows increasing frustrated both with Alfred's deteriorating condition and her family's unwillingness to acknowledge and accept the gravity of 'her' situation.
Gary, their brow beaten eldest son is grappling with depression, Denise, their workaholic daughter is having a lesbian affair and Chip, an aspiring writer grappling with self esteem issues, finds himself in the middle of a political coup in eastern Europe.
The novel centres on Enid's desire to have her family together for Christmas while Alfred is still coherent enough to understand the significance of the occasion. Dysfunction abounds as all five family members stumble from crisis to crisis as their lives spiral out of control.
Gary's wife sees Enid as a manipulative, self serving sociopath and flatly refuses to accompany him to the Christmas gathering. Gary's children side with their mother and Gary faces the prospect of attending the family Christmas without his family.
Denise, who has just become the joint owner of Philadelphia's hippest new restaurant, is struggling to maintain a professional relationship with her business partner while she is sleeping with his wife.
Chip has just been dumped by his long time girlfriend, lost a college lecturing job after seducing a student and his new career as a screenwriter is in danger. Desperate for money, Chip takes a job in Eastern Europe selling non existent national resources to unsuspecting American investors in an elaborate internet scam.
In September 2001, The Corrections was selected for Oprah Winfrey's book club. Franzen was, at the time, willing to participate in the selection and sit down for a lengthy interview with Oprah. In October 2001, however, Franzen made remarks expressing unease with the Oprah Book Club selection. He expressed his dissapointment with the Oprah Logo being printed on his book. "I see this as my book, my creation, and I didn't want that logo of corporate ownership on it." Soon afterward, Franzen's invitation to appear on Oprah's show was rescinded.
Although the incident caused damage to Franzen's reputation, it had little if any effect on the sales of The Corrections, which became one of the best-selling works of literary fiction of the 21st century so far and won both the 2001 National Book Award for Fiction and the 2002 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.
At the National Book Award ceremony Franzen thanked Oprah in his brief acceptance speech: "I'd also like to thank Oprah Winfrey for her enthusiasm and advocacy on behalf of The Corrections."
Franzen weaves a wickedly funny and moving tale intertwined with love, sex, guns and money with verbal brevity. Amazing writing from one of the worlds most poetic novelists.
