This is the third third book that I’ve read by Jonathan Franzen. I loved The Corrections and I loved Freedom. I loved Crossroads as well.

I find Franzen’s writing to be extremely cozy - it’s fun and engaging without being theatrical or performative. Very easy to read, and very easy to get lost in the stories and emotions of the characters.

I like that Franzen writes about families… whether you are close with your family or not, most people have lots of emotions about their families… and Franzen is great at capturing those fraught relationships.

I’ve always related to his characters, but the fact that the characters in this book were Christians made their logic, motivation, neuroses, anxiety all that much more relatable to me. I really felt at home reading about the parish and the family.

I highly recommend this book!