"Crossroads" by Jonathan Franzen - Book Review

Summary

"Jonathan Franzen's gift for wedding depth and vividness of character with breadth of social vision has never been more dazzlingly evident than in Crossroads.

It's December 23, 1971, and heavy weather is forecast for Chicago. Russ Hildebrandt, the associate pastor of a liberal suburban church, is on the brink of breaking free of a marriage he finds joyless--unless his wife, Marion, who has her own secret life, beats him to it. Their eldest child, Clem, is coming home from college on fire with moral absolutism, having taken an action that will shatter his father. Clem's sister, Becky, long the social queen of her high-school class, has sharply veered into the counterculture, while their brilliant younger brother Perry, who's been selling drugs to seventh graders, has resolved to be a better person. Each of the Hildebrandts seeks a freedom that each of the others threatens to complicate.

Jonathan Franzen's novels are celebrated for their unforgettably vivid characters and for their keen-eyed take on contemporary America. Now, in Crossroads, Franzen ventures back into the past and explores the history of two generations. With characteristic humor and complexity, and with even greater warmth, he conjures a world that resonates powerfully with our own.

A tour de force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense, its action largely unfolding on a single winter day, Crossroads is the story of a Midwestern family at a pivotal moment of moral crisis. Jonathan Franzen's gift for melding the small picture and the big picture has never been more dazzlingly evident."

Review

Jonathan Franzen is an exceptional writer. A few years ago, I read "Freedom", and I felt completely captivated by the book and its compelling writing. I experienced the same feeling while reading "Crossroads". This novel revolves around a family drama set in a small town during the 1970s, with each chapter focusing on a different family member, weaving their stories together. 

The characters are deeply complex and incredibly human; they can be insufferable, selfish, and insecure, grappling with many cognitive distortions. At times, you might feel compelled to step into the book and have a candid conversation with them. The narrative reflects many themes present in the characters' everyday lives, including the role of faith—or the absence of it—accountability, and the poisonous nature of envy and resentment.

As noted elsewhere, Franzen has a remarkable talent for delving into marital complexity and the layers of complicated feelings that build up over time. In the end, while I didn't appreciate a certain character's religious self-righteousness, she is correct in asserting that we all make our choices, and ultimately, at least one of us must find happiness in them.

Key Takeaways

• In-depth character development and exploration of underlying marital resentment
• A comprehensive look at the complexities of someone's inner life and the stories we create to rationalise our actions
• Emotional writing that flows smoothly

Who Should Read This

Readers interested in engaging family dramas, well-developed characters, and the cultural dynamics of rural towns in 1970s USA.

Favourite Quotes

"Perry himself had yet to hear from God; maybe the lines were down, or maybe there was simply no one at the other end."

"The idea was that God was to be found in relationships, not in liturgy and ritual, and that the way to worship Him and approach Him was to emulate Christ in his relationships with his disciples, by exercising honesty, confrontation, and unconditional love."

"While man experienced time as a progression, from unknown past to unknowable future, to God the entire course of history was eternally present. To God, the site of the lightning strike wasn’t just the spot where a man had died but the spot where he would later die and the spot where, in God’s perfect knowledge, he was forever dying. Being in the desert made a mystery like this accessible."

"Eternity is a mystery to us, just like God is a mystery. It doesn’t have to mean rejoicing in heaven or burning in hell. It could be a timeless state of grace or bottomless despair."

"It was strange that self-pity wasn’t on the list of deadly sins; none was deadlier."

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars)