Freedom

I originally started reading this novel about a year ago, but then stopped at around 300 pages in. I can't actually remember why; I don't think it was because I wasn't enjoying the book, but I think I probably just borrowed something else from the library or from a friend, then got distracted with my studies, and so Freedom by Jonathan Franzen sat on my side table with bookmark in place, waiting for its turn to come around again. I knew, though, that I'd enjoyed what I'd read up to that point, because I wanted other people to read it too, and so I picked it for my work book club.

This month it came up as one of our selections, so I decided to start from the beginning again, and I'm glad I did because there were some key elements of the story I'd forgotten about in the last twelve months. To explain what Freedom is about is difficult, because it isn't strictly about anything. What it does is picks what seems to be a typical American contemporary family and follows their story as their picture of perfection starts to crack and crumble.

I feel like a broken record as I've been reading so many great books lately, but I loved it. I can see this kind of story isn't for everybody, as some readers might want faster development, or find the characters really unlikeable, but the story really spoke to me. Patty is a neurotic mother, quick to find faults in others, laughs at people's expense, but deep down is just hurting and wants some of her love reciprocated. Walter loves her so incredibly much and yet seems to be not good enough for her, so focuses his passions instead on his environmental work. Each of their children are so incredibly different and messed up in their own way, and then there's Richard, Walter's life long friend, who intersects the story now and then, creates a mess and then leaves again.

One of my fellow book clubbers said that when she stopped reading it she missed the characters. That's a perfect way of summing up this book for me, too, as I feel like I know each of them intimately, and as the number of pages left to read dwindled, the more I didn't want the book to end.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen - 5 out of 5 stars!

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen