Crossroads: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-09-07 11:21:19
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- Author：Jonathan Franzen
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Summary
It’s December 23， 1971， and the Hildebrandt family is at a crossroads。 The patriarch， Russ， the associate pastor of a suburban Chicago church， is poised to break free of a marriage he finds joyless— unless his brilliant and unstable wife， Marion， breaks free of it first。 Their eldest child， Clem， is coming home from college afire with moral absolutism， having taken an action that will shatter his father。 Clem’s sister， Becky， long the social queen of her high-school class， has veered into the era’s counterculture， while their younger brother Perry， fed up with selling pot to support his drug habit， has firmly resolved to be a better person。 Each of the Hildebrandts seeks a freedom that each of the others threatens to complicate。
Universally recognized as the leading novelist of his generation， Jonathan Franzen is often described as a teller of family stories。 Only now， though， in Crossroads， has he given us a novel in which a family， in all the intricacy of its workings， is truly at the center。
By turns comic and harrowing， a tour-de-force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense， Crossroads is the first volume of a trilogy， A Key to All Mythologies， that will span three generations and trace the inner life of our culture through the present day。 Complete in itself， set in a historical moment of moral crisis， and reaching back to the early twentieth century， Crossroads serves as a foundation for a sweeping investigation of human mythologies， as the Hildebrandt family navigates the political， intellectual， and social crosscurrents of the past fifty years。
Jonathan Franzen’s gift for wedding depth and vividness of character with breadth of social vision has never been more dazzlingly evident than in Crossroads。
A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar， Straus and Giroux
Universally recognized as the leading novelist of his generation， Jonathan Franzen is often described as a teller of family stories。 Only now， though， in Crossroads， has he given us a novel in which a family， in all the intricacy of its workings， is truly at the center。
By turns comic and harrowing， a tour-de-force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense， Crossroads is the first volume of a trilogy， A Key to All Mythologies， that will span three generations and trace the inner life of our culture through the present day。 Complete in itself， set in a historical moment of moral crisis， and reaching back to the early twentieth century， Crossroads serves as a foundation for a sweeping investigation of human mythologies， as the Hildebrandt family navigates the political， intellectual， and social crosscurrents of the past fifty years。
Jonathan Franzen’s gift for wedding depth and vividness of character with breadth of social vision has never been more dazzlingly evident than in Crossroads。
A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar， Straus and Giroux
Reviews
Matthew
，
Despite our most recent generation’s mangling and subsequent misappropriation of the word， I’m shocked at how “literally” my daughter takes everything these days。 Upon further thought I shouldn’t be that shocked， really; after all， she’s six。 To understand the grey areas which fall between the proverbial black and white would simply be too much for her little brain to handle。 It hasn’t been without effort， however。 Foolhardy endeavor though it may be， my wife and I have been teaching her that al Despite our most recent generation’s mangling and subsequent misappropriation of the word， I’m shocked at how “literally” my daughter takes everything these days。 Upon further thought I shouldn’t be that shocked， really; after all， she’s six。 To understand the grey areas which fall between the proverbial black and white would simply be too much for her little brain to handle。 It hasn’t been without effort， however。 Foolhardy endeavor though it may be， my wife and I have been teaching her that all things aren’t just one thing or another。 That they can be both。 Neither。 A mixture of the two。 A separate entity altogether。 Such is the complexity of the human spirit。 And yet we continue to make things more difficult on ourselves by attempting to simplify these complexities。 I recall a conversation I recently had with my miserly， change-averse uncle in which he pontificated about “simpler times” and how “things used to be so much more cut and dry。” To whose benefit， I wanted to ask him。 But I knew that too would be a foolhardy endeavor。 It’s not as if the man didn’t live through some pretty significant eras in which great change – or more accurately， changes – hadn’t occurred。 He just didn’t like that change oftentimes exposes us for whom we truly are。 Better still， he didn’t like that such change would render us shells of ourselves， would all but force us to adapt and evolve。 To me， that’s our greatest trait as humans。 And yet there are so many of us who would rather stay the course。 Who would prefer two flavors of ice cream rather than the thirty-one Baskin-Robbins has to offer。 Who scoff at pronouns。 Who thought the internet was a fad。 The “if it ain’t broke， don’t fix it” people。 Problem is， we’ve never not be broken。 Humans can always use fixing。 And the best part？ It’s never too late for repair。 All it takes is willingness。 Recognition。 Desire。 Lots and lots of desire。 Sure， on paper it sounds easy。 But I’m not about to tell you that off paper it’s a simple flick of a switch。 Unfortunately， we live in a society where if something doesn’t happen fast enough， it’s not worth our time。 What’s more， we live in a society that celebrates stagnancy disguised as comfort。 It brings to mind the theme song to Full House in which the singer asked: “what ever happened to predictability？” What’s funny is that given our advancements in technology we’ve become far better equipped for predictability than ever。 Funnier even that the show would take place in a such a progressive town （San Fran， for those who aren’t in the know）。 Yet that was hardly the song’s sentiment; it was a reflection on complacency， a reminiscence of simplicity。 But those are just lyrics of a song from an old show。 Life itself doesn’t move backwards。 We are not Benjamin Button。 If anybody， we’re better off taking the advice of Ferris Bueller: “Life moves pretty fast。 If you don't stop and look around once in a while， you could miss it。”Or we’re better off reading Jonathan Franzen。 He， who can distill what’s broken about humans more elegantly than any living writer。 He， who can extract the greys from the blacks and whites。 He， who understands his characters better than they understand themselves。 He， who has written yet another modern classic about life moving pretty fast。 With Crossroads， the writer’s first work in half a dozen years， as well as the opening novel of his A Key to All Mythologies trilogy （！！！）， one needn’t stop and look around once in a while for fear of missing the life – lives， really – Jonathan Franzen is documenting。 It deserves more than a cursory glance， a brisk skim， a distracted scan。 It demands full attention and is more than ready to reward whichever readers choose to give it。 And you can bet your bottom dollar I gave it all。 In return I received love。 Hate。 Anger。 Joy。 Faith。 Loyalty。 Doubt。 Hope。 Cruelty。 All vis a vis a family I immersed myself within as if I were their foster child， so enthralling I found each member I grew attached。 It’s a testament to Jonathan Franzen’s innate ability in developing rich， vivid and wholly flawed characters， and making us want， no need， to stop everything in our own lives to catch up with theirs。 Which is to say Labor Day Weekend of 2021 may as well have been called the Hildebrandt Holiday。 For I found myself not just sneaking in time to read about the family which centers Crossroads; I made time。 Neighborhood festival？ Sure， but only after I finish this chapter。 Barbecue with friends？ Let’s push the start time by an hour。 Had I nary any responsibilities as a husband and father， I’d have likely devoured the novel’s near-600 pages in half the time I devoted to it。 Devotion is key as it pertains to Crossroads。 To unpack Franzen’s twisty， twirly passages requires a similar commitment to what the writer has clearly given in creating them。 But how else to embody the human spirit and all of its blemishes than by committing to it？ There’s a sense of piety in how Franzen describes the Hildebrandts; it’s evident how attached he’d grown to them。 Which made it all but impossible for me not to return the favor。 It’s not as if I even liked any of the Hildebrandts （save maybe for their most fledgling member， Judson， who’s too young to be affected… yet）， but that’s besides the point。 In fact， it made Crossroads all the more real， all the more relatable， all the more dazzling。 We Are the Brennans it is not。 Crossroads begins two days shy of Christmas in 1971， whereupon we’re introduced to the Hildebrandts’ patriarch， Russ， an associate pastor of a suburban Chicago church。 Russ has recently been disgraced within his community， and while we’re initially unsure of its impetus it’s difficult not to discern by way of his growing obsession with one of his congregates， the recently widowed （and "FOXY"） Frances Cottrell。 With Russ， Franzen presents his first of many dichotomous characters; he’s driven both by faith and faithlessness， or at the very least the idea of infidelity。 Better still， Russ represents a changing of the guard， so to speak: both within his community where his nemesis， Rick Ambrose， who heads the church youth group （of which the novel’s title is derived）， has all but taken over; but also the world as a whole。 Because the times they are a-changin’ and Russ is falling woefully behind， despite he and his church’s progressive thoughts and beliefs。 Conversely – and perhaps fittingly – it’s his children who find themselves caught up within the counterculture。 Yet this acceptance of society’s evolution is less organic than one would assume; it’s just as much a fuck you to the old man as it is anything else。 Russ， devoted man of faith， has done nothing to gain the good graces of his immediate family。 And it is this dissension amongst the ranks which propels Crossroads into dynamic territories。 Russ’s storyline gives way to that of his son， Perry， the third oldest in the pecking order yet considered by the family’s matriarch （more on her， trust me） as its golden child。 For good reason， too; Perry is inarguably brilliant， and it’s through his sections in which Franzen can truly flex his muscles。 In addition to being gifted， Perry is also remarkably anxious， his restless brain seemingly impossible to switch off。 It’s because of this perpetual anxiety Perry turns to drugs – at first pot， before graduating to much harder stuff – and subsequent addiction。 Such troubles do not go unnoticed so much as they are cast aside in favor of interfamilial loyalties… and disloyalties。 For Perry’s relationship with his own siblings is complicated。 He shares a room with Judson and by proxy connects with him best; yet their relationship， like seemingly every relationship Perry holds， is superficial。 Recognizing a need for change， Perry resolves to quit drugs and become a better person。 Where better to do so than within the youth group？ Better still， the youth group he father disdains？ It goes to show just how willing Perry is to grow， which is to say very little。 And yet his joining the group does mend another relationship of Perry’s which had grown fractured。 Becky， the lone Hildebrandt sister， is pretty and popular; she’s the oil to Perry’s water。 But like her brother， Becky seeks change; she’s all but lost her only sibling ally in Clem， the eldest Hildebrandt， who left for college the year before。 She too joins Crossroads and learns more about herself as she and Perry begin to connect within its open， friendly confines。 It’s there Becky also learns of the power of altruism， and when an unexpected inheritance finds her in possession of thirteen thousand dollars， she finds herself at her own crossroads。 Does she go on， take the money， and run？ Or does she share her windfall with her remaining siblings？ That she even considers， let alone follows through with， the latter proves Becky’s own willingness to evolve。 Clem is also dealing with his own issues amidst an ever-changing world。 Having only gained any semblance of intimacy via his relationship with Becky， Clem struggles to truly connect with his first girlfriend （and lover）， Sharon。 She challenges Clem in every way Becky never had; it rocks Clem to his very core。 Yet the solace he seeks is far greater than that of joining a youth group。 He instead drops out of school and enlists in the army， another example of his willingness to change all the while challenging his own father’s demonstrative beliefs。 Last， but certainly not least， we meet Marion， the Hildebrandt matriarch who is only referenced peripherally – and mostly unfavorably – prior to her introduction。 Because of this foreshadowing I expected a difficult， complex individual。 But never did I think I’d be introduced to – no hyperbole – the most memorable character since Jude in Hanya Yanagihara’s epic A Little Life。 In fact， I found many similarities betwixt the two: abusive upbringing; submissive relationships; proclivity for humiliation。 The oft-forgotten child of a mentally ill man and frequently absent mother， Marion is left to her own devices upon her father’s suicide; the lack of any parental figure in her life all but steers her harrowing pathway。 And yet It’s also a pathway which ultimately leads her to God， then Russ， her savior。 But their marriage has become a sham; Marion has gained weight and lost her husband’s interest。 What’s more， she remains obsessed with a man with whom she’d had an affair several decades prior。 She fantasizes about finding him， but not before she loses thirty pounds and gains control of a life that heretofore had been controlled by everyone but herself。 Suffice to say there’s nothing cut and dry， nor black or white， about the Hildebrandts。 Each is designed like a Russian doll; for every layer removed， another grey area is revealed。 The results are messy， complicated and， at times， borderline shocking。 And yet their story is told with admirable control， due to the capable， confident hands of one of literature’s greatest living authors。 Jonathan Franzen not only understands his characters better than most writers of his generation， he celebrates their every flaw， their every idiosyncrasy， their every grey area。 For without such grey areas， how are we to evolve？ How could we possibly fix what’s broken without recognizing what it is that’s fractured？ We are all but works in progress – but only when we acknowledge that progress needs to be made can we truly grow。 The Hildebrandts are a prime example。 And to say I cannot wait to become immersed within their fractured， flawed world once – twice！ – again would be an understatement of Biblical proportions。 （Many thanks to my soul brother， Greg， for hooking me up with an advanced copy。） 。。。more
James
，
Hysterical， with Jonathan Franzen back in masterful form in the unspooling of deliciously dysfunctional family drama amid pirouettic prose。 Who else but he can send me into contortions of indecision between laughing， cringing， gasping？ As The Corrections through the psychologically fraught Lamberts became a singular highlight for me last year， so too does "Crossroads" through the Hildebrandts blind with similarly anxiety-inducing brilliance， coming from that fairground glow of Franzenland and it Hysterical， with Jonathan Franzen back in masterful form in the unspooling of deliciously dysfunctional family drama amid pirouettic prose。 Who else but he can send me into contortions of indecision between laughing， cringing， gasping？ As The Corrections through the psychologically fraught Lamberts became a singular highlight for me last year， so too does "Crossroads" through the Hildebrandts blind with similarly anxiety-inducing brilliance， coming from that fairground glow of Franzenland and its centerpiece of another nuclear family going nuclear， accentuated by Christmas lights。 Ambitiously， it clocks in at almost 600 pages that still zipped by， that I greedily wanted more of。 So well does Franzen enliven this fictional family， set during the two days leading up to Christmas in this fictional town of New Prospect， Illinois， that these veneers of fiction soon don’t matter， subsumed into the underlying kaleidoscopic reality of our human motivations and soap-operatic emotions that are painfully， hilariously， reflected back to us in the Hildebrandt house of mirrors。Character truly is Franzen’s superpower， cranking up the tensions until the inevitable explosions of confrontation he detonates throughout the book。 In their general unfestive dysphoria， each of them feels neurotically distinct: from the morally hypocritical Russ， both unpopular pastor and father with self-justified thoughts of adultery， to morally conformative Marion， whose long-suffering matronly smile has cracked from past traumas barely contained。 To say nothing of their children， in descending order of age: from college-aged Clem， finding himself at his own moral crossroads about enlisting in the Vietnam War in defiance of Russ’ pacifism， to high-school social butterfly Becky， likewise caught in her own entanglement of priorities about what holds the most potential for self-fulfillment between love， religion， and sibling hatred。 The latter is almost exclusively concentrated upon her younger brother， Perry， the brainiest one of the family whose chapters allow Franzen the ejaculatory relief of flexing his own braininess。 Beyond the metaphorical， more than being a proxy for the monomaniacal idea of morality that Franzen makes its clear thematic linchpin， “Crossroads” also has a physical referent: the Christian youth fellowship called Crossroads， an after-school program presenting itself as the post-Woodstock equivalent to Russ’ First Reformed church。 While this hippier organisation pushes its young members to find God through adherence to non-negotiable principles of total emotional honesty and trust， actualised via bizarre group exercises approaching cultishness， it doubles as a Linklaterian kind of stomping grounds of the “Dazed and Confused” variety that makes it very socially attractive to the Hildebrandt children， on top of being Franzen’s overspeeding vehicle for the majority of the book’s glorious conflicts。 For we soon discover that， due to a recent major scandal， Russ has been banished from Crossroads with scant sympathy from his children， his position taken up by the younger， cooler Rick Ambrose whom Russ thus despises， their dynamic not unlike that of Salieri and Mozart。Discussion of Franzen can be difficult without addressing the naturally occurring cloud of controversy that seems to form wherever he goes。 Parts of “The Corrections，” mostly from Chip’s audaciously sexist chapters， still haunt me with lines like “Julia’s grapy smell of lecherous pliability，” even after accounting for the self-awareness of the latter qualifier which the first threatens to overwhelm。 Russ’ chapters may approach that level of cringeworthiness， but thankfully feel offset by the obviousness of Franzen’s judgment， rendered in other characters’ miasmic resentment of Russ’ actions。 Franzen feels ever higher at the top of his game here， his attention unfailingly attuned to the overarching question of family where his answers run the gamut of challenges from addiction to mental health， from the social benefits of faith to the Shakespearian excesses of love。 “Crossroads” starts off a planned trilogy with the Casaubon-inspired title of “A Key to All Mythologies，” having in turn inspired my very impulsive decision to pick up Middlemarch afterwards， antsy for the sequels。 。。。more
Sarah
，
My favorite way to kill time when I'm in public spaces is to create backstories for passing people。 That random guy sitting next to you on the plane？ Definitely a spy on his way to hunt down the thieves of a stolen artifact。 The couple behind you in a restaurant？ Probably starved folk musicians giving it one more try to earn success。 The cashier at the grocery store？ A semi-retired ballerina that longs for her lost love and now works in her hometown to one day find him。 Most likely。In a way， Cro My favorite way to kill time when I'm in public spaces is to create backstories for passing people。 That random guy sitting next to you on the plane？ Definitely a spy on his way to hunt down the thieves of a stolen artifact。 The couple behind you in a restaurant？ Probably starved folk musicians giving it one more try to earn success。 The cashier at the grocery store？ A semi-retired ballerina that longs for her lost love and now works in her hometown to one day find him。 Most likely。In a way， Crossroads reminds me of that game。 Here we have a seemingly typical suburban family， but each chapter dives deep into their inner thoughts， their challenges， and their family's connectedness to fulfilling （or not fulfilling） their goals。 Their backstories are unexpected， and I enjoyed peeling back different layers of these characters as the story progressed。I most looked forward to the Marion chapters。 She had such an unpredictable but complicated past。 I don't want to give anything away， but it gives her a whole new dimension beyond her vibes as a wife of an associate pastor and mother of four。This book was nearly 600 pages， but I would have devoured even more。 Luckily， this book is the first of a trilogy， and I can't wait to find out what's next。 Definitely get this book on your radar， out October 5th。 Many thanks to FSG Books for the advanced copy！ 。。。more
Erika
，
new jonathan franzen in a couple of months！！！！！！ HELLO！！！！ it is the first book in his first ever trilogy！！！！！ it's 600 pages long and takes place on 'single pivotal winter day'！！！！ i'm not too crazy about that cover but let's go！！！！！！！111 new jonathan franzen in a couple of months！！！！！！ HELLO！！！！ it is the first book in his first ever trilogy！！！！！ it's 600 pages long and takes place on 'single pivotal winter day'！！！！ i'm not too crazy about that cover but let's go！！！！！！！111 。。。more
Roxanne
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Review upcoming
Osman Junior
，
Damn， this looks ambitious。 Excited already。
Jonathan
，
In George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch， the unlikable character Edward Casaubon sets out to write about the field of theology， a masterwork that he entitles “The Key to All Mythologies” yet Casaubon dies before it’s completed， leaving the unfinished work to his wife who considers it a “tomb” symbolizing the failures of unrealized ambition。 It’s almost comical that Franzen would name his trilogy the same thing， undertaking a task that already failed a fictitious character with lesser pretension。 Th In George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch， the unlikable character Edward Casaubon sets out to write about the field of theology， a masterwork that he entitles “The Key to All Mythologies” yet Casaubon dies before it’s completed， leaving the unfinished work to his wife who considers it a “tomb” symbolizing the failures of unrealized ambition。 It’s almost comical that Franzen would name his trilogy the same thing， undertaking a task that already failed a fictitious character with lesser pretension。 The irony is also not lost on the comparison of the ideologies of god and morality that Casaubon studies directly resonates with the themes of Crossroads， the first novel in Franzen’s trilogy。Franzen has outstandingly one upped himself with the creation of the Hildebrandt’s， an iconic and once in a decade type family that is coming apart at the seams and we don’t know whether to empathize with them or painfully root for their demise， each member of the stereotypical nuclear family living in the early 70’s is grappling with their own demons （or gods） in a small Illinois town that reeks of indifference。 Laughing on one page and cringing on the next， the existential range of emotions he touches upon is without a doubt the most Franzen-esque that Franzen has ever been， that sentences alone is almost a patronizing laughable remark but trust me， the way he writes about the middle-class middle-American family is almost like he single handily is saving the modern state of American literature， call it pompous but no one can contest his creativity and skill， and his inventive stories are only second to his craft of writing， that with Crossroads， he has perfected。Six family members pinball back and forth with alternating points of view over the period of two days during a majority of Crossroads， we see the varying vantage points and each event from all the angles， the backstories and character development that forges itself into each chapter is so finely tuned that we feel as if each one of these people has taken on a corporeal form。Russ the patriarch of the family is a pastor who is wrestling with his thoughts on god and his lackluster marriage， he is tempted by a younger woman which questions the moral fibers of his entire being， in lesser words， Russ is a complete schmuck and we want to hate everything about him。 He exemplifies the stereotypical white male father， cringeworthy at times and yet something about him makes you want to root for him。 Marion his wife， aging， unstable， and unhappy is one of Franzen’s greatest characters in my opinion， she is a multilayered woman whom we see come into her own， she has the most intriguing and unfortunate of backstories that only we as the reader get to witness。 The comic relief she poses later on in the novel is beautiful to see， she really steals the show and runs with it。The eldest son Clem is a college student who we don’t get to hear from very often， he is wrestling with his feelings of love and intimacy and decides to drop out and enlist for Vietnam to spite his father whom he hates。 The next eldest Hildebrandt is Becky。 A popular social butterfly loved by everyone she encounters， she can never seem to do something wrong， as she nears adulthood she finds love， god， and the strange path that befalls her。 The second youngest is Perry， probably the most memorable of all the children as he struggles with drugs and addiction despite the fact that he’s the family genius。 Perry is complicated， watching him battle his problems is heartbreaking and a source of turmoil for the other five。 The youngest son doesn’t play much of a role in the dynamic that rips at each of the other members。 It was a privilege to watch as with each chapter another layer was revealed of each of them， humanizing everything， there was scarcely a dull moment along the 600 page journey。。Ultimately each person is at a “crossroads” in their life， not knowing which path to take。 Searching through god， mental illness， drugs， their past， and their futures， they take a labyrinthine trail that leads to an ending that has me eager to find what Franzen does next with them。 The trilogy is supposed to span three generations up until present day， and Im hoping he sticks with the Hildebrandts， so we can watch them as they either save themselves or fall to their own self inflicted demises。 。。。more
Greg Zimmerman
，
The Franzen returns！ You know， for a writer who has such a reputation （warranted or not） for being an unpleasant curmudgeon， he sure understands and seems to like people。 And he sure knows how to tell their stories in such a way that even a 600-page novel seems to just fly by。A few months ago， I attended a Zoom interview with The Franzen， during which he mentioned he's of the （seemingly arbitrary） belief that writers only have six good novels in them， and then they should retire。 He said when he The Franzen returns！ You know， for a writer who has such a reputation （warranted or not） for being an unpleasant curmudgeon， he sure understands and seems to like people。 And he sure knows how to tell their stories in such a way that even a 600-page novel seems to just fly by。A few months ago， I attended a Zoom interview with The Franzen， during which he mentioned he's of the （seemingly arbitrary） belief that writers only have six good novels in them， and then they should retire。 He said when he started Crossroads， his sixth novel， he felt like it would be his last book -- but then he got so into it and the lives of this family， 600 pages later， we have what is the first volume in a trilogy。 Woo， and may I add， Hoo！ I for one am delighted about this - because I loved/hated/was absolutely fascinated by this family。 The story is about a family of six - the Hildebrandts - living in a suburb of Chicago in the early 1970s。 These people are quirky but also about as normal and everyday as people get。 The father is an assistant pastor at a local church， the mother is a stay-at-home mom， and the kids do kids-like things， fight with each other， go off to college， try drugs， sex， and rock and roll。 But as each character wrestles with their own problems （and their checkered pasts， in the parents' cases）， things， as is the case with all families who are miserable in their own way， get broken。 When you are so mad at someone you love， how to repair the damage of cruelty？ How do you overcome the feeling that you may not like， much less love， these people anymore？ The revolving character studies and how each of these characters relate to each other is interesting enough to keep us moving along quickly。 But what Franzen's really got going on here is a novel about the extremely fine lines between ostensible opposites: love and hate， respect and contempt， faithfulness and infidelity， faith and doubt， empathy and intentional cruelty， and self-righteousness and altruism。 I don't know if this is my favorite Franzen novel - but it's up there。 And I can't wait for the next one！ 。。。more
Jamckean
，
CROSSROADS is one of those wholly immersive family sagas with characters who just sink into your pores。 Jonathan Franzen’s writing is both lyrical and cerebral。 His characters are beautifully flawed， each carrying burdens of unrealized expectations and lifelong regrets。 His honest questions regarding crises of faith - among a pastor， his wife and their children - were thought provoking and insightful。 I am looking forward to the next chapter in the lives of this fascinating family！
David
，
I am told that Jonathan Franzen was more likely to have been referencing Edward Casaubon in Middlemarch than ITV’s long-running TV series when naming his new book Crossroads （Fourth Estate）。 His latest novel， out in October， is set in the Seventies in small town America and lays out the comings and goings of a dysfunctional family in a way that Franzen does so well。 The Hildebrandt family is made up of Russ and Marion and their four children and there’s midlife crises， drugs， school crushes， par I am told that Jonathan Franzen was more likely to have been referencing Edward Casaubon in Middlemarch than ITV’s long-running TV series when naming his new book Crossroads （Fourth Estate）。 His latest novel， out in October， is set in the Seventies in small town America and lays out the comings and goings of a dysfunctional family in a way that Franzen does so well。 The Hildebrandt family is made up of Russ and Marion and their four children and there’s midlife crises， drugs， school crushes， parental absurdities and coming of age struggles。 Their current flaws are interwoven with their interesting backstories and it’s often hilarious while in parts acutely cringe making。 I could not put this down and sailed through its 580 pages loving every minute。 It’s apparently the first of a trilogy which is great news and I look forward to finding out what’s next for the Hildebrandts。 。。。more
Yelena Gitlin Nesbit
，
What a fantastic family saga—Franzen whisks you across decades and landscapes and each character is so richly drawn and has such a compelling story line。 Those with both functional and dysfunctional families will find something to relate to。 Don’t be daunted by the page count—you will wish there were 300 more pages by the time you get to the end。 I love that this is part of a trilogy can’t wait for the next two books。
Matthew Ted
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75th book of 2021。4。5。 This is Franzen's new novel， which will be published 5th October '21。 I'll write a short review for this soon but as I read a proof copy， I am not allowed to quote from it yet。 Maybe when October rolls around I will return and write a full review as I want to。 But for now: Franzen has somehow managed to write a family saga filled with the same old problems but nail it。 This was a pleasure to read， a 600-pager that barely falters。 Wonderful characters， wonderful dialogue， w 75th book of 2021。4。5。 This is Franzen's new novel， which will be published 5th October '21。 I'll write a short review for this soon but as I read a proof copy， I am not allowed to quote from it yet。 Maybe when October rolls around I will return and write a full review as I want to。 But for now: Franzen has somehow managed to write a family saga filled with the same old problems but nail it。 This was a pleasure to read， a 600-pager that barely falters。 Wonderful characters， wonderful dialogue， wonderful ideas: drugs and God and identity and most of all， family。 。。。more
Joe Meyers
，
A great first installment in a new trilogy of novels from one of our finest writers。（Egalley provided by Edelweiss）
Jessica Jeffers
，
I might be sick of Franzen at this point but I'm keeping this on my radar I might be sick of Franzen at this point but I'm keeping this on my radar 。。。more
Jenn
，
Can we just talk about how ridiculous it is that Jonathan Franzen refers to himself as being "universally recognized as the leading novelist of his generation" on his cover flap？ Just。。。wow。 Can we just talk about how ridiculous it is that Jonathan Franzen refers to himself as being "universally recognized as the leading novelist of his generation" on his cover flap？ Just。。。wow。 。。。more
Tammy
，
Review tk
Jaclyn
，
Crossroads is a book about all the ways we don’t understand each other or ourselves。 We truly are complete mysteries。 And we’re so fundamentally flawed。 But we’re also complete cliches。 And we’re just all adrift and confused and sad and lonely and nobody writes about it like Franzen。 This is very much The Corrections territory and it’s such a pleasure to return to it after all these years with Franzen so confidently at the helm。 I love how Franzen grapples with our morality and saviour complexes Crossroads is a book about all the ways we don’t understand each other or ourselves。 We truly are complete mysteries。 And we’re so fundamentally flawed。 But we’re also complete cliches。 And we’re just all adrift and confused and sad and lonely and nobody writes about it like Franzen。 This is very much The Corrections territory and it’s such a pleasure to return to it after all these years with Franzen so confidently at the helm。 I love how Franzen grapples with our morality and saviour complexes here。 In typical style all of the characters are vividly drawn but Marion may just be one of Franzen’s best。 She is deeply， truly fascinating and complex and we are given access to her in ways denied in most books。 In case it’s unclear， I loved every damn word of this very long and very sad book though the final section felt weirdly rushed。 I am so ready for book two。 。。。more
Leilani W
，
Beautifully written， completely immersive， and a gorgeous start to a family saga。 The voices of each of the characters is clear and distinct， with their motivations and personalities at turns consistent and surprising in a wonderfully authentic way。 The way the story unfolds to give history and past experiences for the characters makes it impossible to put down。 I'm already looking forward to re-reading， to have gained that familiarity with each person and view everything with the benefit of hin Beautifully written， completely immersive， and a gorgeous start to a family saga。 The voices of each of the characters is clear and distinct， with their motivations and personalities at turns consistent and surprising in a wonderfully authentic way。 The way the story unfolds to give history and past experiences for the characters makes it impossible to put down。 I'm already looking forward to re-reading， to have gained that familiarity with each person and view everything with the benefit of hindsight （or foresight， I suppose）。 I have always found Jonathan Franzen's books captivating， and this one is no exception。 。。。more
Adam Dalva
，
Really loved it， and was surprised by it， and am excited to hear what people think of it。 It has its strange moments， and some regressive ones， but also incredible sequences， and the Marion character， specifically， fascinated me。 Franzen has a knack for intertwined family novels， and this one， while not up to the level of THE CORRECTIONS， is great。 Excited for part 2！
Thomas
，
An absolutely stunning novel。 Franzen makes the American novel great again！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Crossroads: A Novel
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Crossroads: A Novel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Crossroads: A Novel&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0