Jonathan Franzen

When the furor over Oprah selecting The Corrections and the author's disdain for being lumped with other books of what he regarded as pulp reached it's most annoying intensity I gave the book a pass. I don't buy much fiction anymore since I have been consistently disappointed over the past decade by lousy stories that I felt robbed of the time it took me to consume them.

Last fall I noticed Franzen had a book of non-fiction essays, How to Be Alone, which contained a number of utterly brilliant pieces including a painfully personal account of losing his father. Franzen is from my home town and the book got me hooked on his writing so I decided to try The Corrections which is so vivid that it has restored my faith in fiction. If you eschewed the book before on account of the Oprah scandal I suggest you give the book a try since it's clear that this author can write a story that keeps the pages turning and won't let go even when you've finished reading.

I really hope he keeps writing and I'll have to work hard to keep from thinking of St. Louis as St. Jude :)

16 Jan 2003 at 0:28, Helsinki