I don't have much to say about this one, really; it follows one Midwestern family over the course of about fifteen years. It's well written, and never boring, but I can't remember when I read a novel that has so little affection for its characters. None of them survive with a shred of likability intact. Even when one character spends about a hundred pages narrating her own life story -- and who's going to be more sympathetic to her than she is, you would think -- Franzen manages to bring her out of that autobiography as an even more loathsome figure than she already was.
Even when the book is funny, and there are very funny moments to be found, the humor is overwhelmed by Franzen's sourness. I remember there being a lot of similar complaints about The Corrections; I haven't re-read that one since it was originally published, but I remember liking it a lot, and being surprised by those comments. But this time? Well, if The Corrections was too unpleasant for you, you're really gonna hate this one. And even if you liked The Corrections, you may find it hard to decide whether Franzen's obvious skill and craftsmanship are enough to overcome his hostility. A close call, but for me, the hostility predominates, and I wouldn't recommend the book.
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