The Corrections is a novel by Jonathan Franzen. The novel spans the lives of the Lambert family from when Enid and Alfred Lambert's children were little through their adult lives when the children have turned into the parents. Enid and Alfred did the best they could, but made lots of mistakes. Their children have paid the price and lead confused and unhappy lives. This novel is about all five of the Lamberts trying to correct the future by dealing with the past.
Each of the characters is maddening and is seriously flawed. Franzen does a great job of making you judge them, and then turns around and helps you find sympathy on the next page. Or vice versa, he makes you sympathetic toward them then turns around and shows you their flaws. Enid, wife and mother to three children, appears selfish and materialistic. Then you realize that Alfred is not all he is cracked up to be and you feel for this woman who has had to live with this rigid and difficult man. Their oldest son Gary seems to have his stuff together and his wife seems very unsympathetic. Then you realize what a jerk Gary can be, and you feel for his wife who has to live with him. Chip their middle child seems like a dead beat and is unreliable, then he becomes his parents savior. And Denise, their youngest, at first seems to have her life together, then you see the truth. That she is confused, selfish, and is living lie after lie.
All together they make the typical American family. Now, Alfred is suffering from Parkinson's and Enid wants one last Christmas together as a family. This book is funny & heartbreaking. I loved how flawed the characters were and how Franzen demonstrates that even though the parents made all sorts of mistakes, the kids try to muddle through and in the end the familial unit is just as strong. In the end, we all figure it out. Unfortunately, sometimes we are too late.
This book is not a light read, or an easy read. I spent one month reading this one; at 568 pages and difficult subject matter it is a commitment to finish. This is a book that I believe will become a classic. I believe that this one will be taught in Literature classes, and that Jonathan Franzen will be known as one of the greats.
Happy Reading!
