Franzen has a story to tell, it’s just a story featuring characters who aren’t always sure what they want. That’s not to say any of it feels arbitrary. Just when a character convinces themselves to do something, they reconsider and the plot spins off in a new direction. The introspection is head-spinning at times.
Despite their religious upbringing, or perhaps in part because of it, there are temptations at every turn, from drugs to pre-marital sex.Īnd in typical Franzen fashion, we go fathoms deep into all the characters’ heads (except Judson, who at 9, is mostly spared the inner monologue) as they navigate their lives. And their four kids, from oldest to youngest - Clem, Becky, Perry and Judson - are all caught up in some fashion in the swirling cultural winds of the decade. Russ’ wife, Marion, wonders if all the sacrifices she made to be a pastor’s wife were worth it. The patriarch, Russ, is a middle-aged associate pastor at a suburban Chicago church, with less-than-pure thoughts about a widowed parishioner in his congregation and a younger rival in the clergy, Rick Ambrose, whose flourishing youth group gives the novel its name. “Crossroads” introduces readers to the Hildebrandt family at the start of the 1970′s. In many ways, this is peak Franzen, with richly created characters, conflicts and plot. It’s also the first of a trilogy called, aspirationally, “The Key to All Mythologies.”īut don’t let all the hype surrounding a Franzen novel overwhelm you before reading. The themes are monumental - from the existence of God to our obligations to family to the morality of war. His newest novel, “Crossroads,” arrives with an audible thud on readers’ doorsteps and will easily hold those doors open at 580 pages.
“Crossroads,” by Jonathan Franzen (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) This cover image released by Farrar, Straus and Giroux shows "Crossroads," a novel by Jonathan Franzen.
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