The Corrections
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The Corrections is a novel of social criticism by American author Jonathan Franzen. It won the 2001 National Book Award for Fiction.
The book revolves around the troubles and strife of the Lambert family, and the travails of their attempts to get together for one last Christmas together.
Alfred Lambert, the patriarch, suffers from Parkinson's disease and dementia. Enid, his long-suffering wife, suffers from Alfred, both vocally and perhaps unfairly. Gary, the eldest Lambert son, is attempting to cope with both depression and the machinations involved in maintaining a happy family. Chip, the middle child, is a politically correct university lecturer whose unfortunate predilection for attractive young girls lands him in a world of self-loathing and financial difficulty, and, eventually, Lithuania. Denise, the youngest of the family, is successful in her career as a chef, but unsuccessful in fulfilling her mother's requests of finding a nice young Midwestern man to marry, not least as she begins to question her sexuality.
Alongside the family dramas, the novel has an undercurrent of social commentary, taking in the topics of globalization, the spread of technology, and the changes in family values over the years, among other topics.
The book was a selection of Oprah's Book Club in 2001.
External links
- Jonathan Franzen's web page about The Corrections (http://www.jonathanfranzen.com/corrections.htm)
- Listen to Franzen read from The Corrections (http://www.fsbassociates.com/_audio/corrections.ram)
- Listen to 2001 Interview with Jonathan Franzen (http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/fa/20011015.fa.01.ram), conducted by Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air
- Most honored novels (http://book.awardannals.com/genre/fiction/topbooks): The Corrections numerous honors puts it at the top of the list