When Jonathan Franzen published The Corrections, it was something of a departure for the author. His previous novels, The Twenty-Seventh City and Strong Motion, were decidedly postmodernist. The Corrections, about a dysfunctional family that can’t help but make extremely unfortunate decisions, left behind the narrative trickery and complex plots in favor of a more straight-ahead family saga.
The Corrections arrived at a complicated time in American history, less than eight months after the inauguration of President George W. Bush and 10 days before the Sept. 11 attacks. Franzen could not have predicted 9/11, of course, but he did predict the unease that marked the country both before and after that watershed event.
The novel resonated with talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who selected it for her popular book club. Franzen expressed ambivalence about being chosen, calling some of Winfrey’s previous selections “schmaltzy,” which caused Winfrey to rescind her invitation for Franzen to appear on her show. (The two would later reconcile after Winfrey picked Franzen’s Freedom for her club in 2010.)
The book, which a Kirkus critic praised as “one of the most impressive American novels of recent years,” went on to win the National Book Award and is widely recognized as one of the best books of the 21st century.
Viewers will get to revisit the novel when a planned series adaptation, starring Meryl Streep, hits the small screen. The timing is good: While the future is unpredictable, unease, it seems, is here to stay.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
