Read this when
The Corrections
Mom wants one last Christmas. Dad is declining. Everyone is hiding something. The Corrections is every aging-parent holiday, painfully funny. 🎄
Who it's for
Franzen moves among Enid, Alfred and each of their adult children, so readers caught in family tension over an aging parent can see the same crisis from every angle, including their own blind spots.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Jonathan Franzen's 2001 novel follows the Lambert family of St. Jude, a Midwestern suburb. Alfred, a retired railroad engineer, has Parkinson's disease and dementia, while his wife Enid tries to manage the lives of their three adult children: Gary, a banker in Philadelphia; Chip, an unemployed academic in New York; and Denise, a chef in Philadelphia.
Where to find it
In print (Picador/FSG) and in libraries (Libby/Hoopla); audiobook available. Not public domain. Won the 2001 National Book Award.
Before you start
Heads up: A father contemplating suicide; dementia.
Age: Adult (18+)
He who is too busy doing good finds no time to be good.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 184
