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A review by danuunad
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
4.0
This is a very clever book. It's full of funny, interesting, insightful or otherwise entertaining little observations. The main characters are easy to understand but not superficial. The fact that there are five of them, each of which is confronted with sufficient dramatic events to fill an entire book, means that there are lots of things happening all the time. The sense of drama is enhanced by Franzen's usage of dramatic irony: Chronologically, most chapters begin just before the point where the previous one ended, giving us an alternate take, before moving on to reveal the next plot twist (and boy, there are many!). If that sounds like a TV show, that's because it is like a TV show: As many before me have noted, this book is a Netflix show waiting to happen.
But that's just the thing. For all of its wittiness and entertainment, this book never really goes beyond those things. It lacks in subtlety, suggestion; the characters are often a bit too insightful and smart. As a result we are constantly, while the action unfolds, being fed with incredibly precise psychological analysis, ostensibly from the characters themselves, about their underlying motives. After a while, this feels a bit too much like being spoonfed. There is a kind of depth that can only be reached by leaving the reader free to ponder and wonder on their own, instead of keeping them tightly strapped in on a rollercoaster ride. That's what Crossroads is missing and why it, despite being well-written and definitely fun to read, is good but not great.
Nevertheless, it contains a lot of interesting material: Drug addiction, the impossibility of true altruism, charity and its unforeseen consequences (all very much my thing), family secrets and religious redemption à l'américaine (the latter not so much my thing) are just a few examples of the myriad issues touched upon. Lingering just underneath the surface, though not (yet) discussed explicitly, are concepts like whiteness, priviledge and identity politics. I have a feeling that Franzen, who is apparently working on multiple sequels, is setting the stage for a deep discussion of these themes. The sequels will be worth reading for that alone; I'll be sure to do so.
But that's just the thing. For all of its wittiness and entertainment, this book never really goes beyond those things. It lacks in subtlety, suggestion; the characters are often a bit too insightful and smart. As a result we are constantly, while the action unfolds, being fed with incredibly precise psychological analysis, ostensibly from the characters themselves, about their underlying motives. After a while, this feels a bit too much like being spoonfed. There is a kind of depth that can only be reached by leaving the reader free to ponder and wonder on their own, instead of keeping them tightly strapped in on a rollercoaster ride. That's what Crossroads is missing and why it, despite being well-written and definitely fun to read, is good but not great.
Nevertheless, it contains a lot of interesting material: Drug addiction, the impossibility of true altruism, charity and its unforeseen consequences (all very much my thing), family secrets and religious redemption à l'américaine (the latter not so much my thing) are just a few examples of the myriad issues touched upon. Lingering just underneath the surface, though not (yet) discussed explicitly, are concepts like whiteness, priviledge and identity politics. I have a feeling that Franzen, who is apparently working on multiple sequels, is setting the stage for a deep discussion of these themes. The sequels will be worth reading for that alone; I'll be sure to do so.