50. The Discomfort Zone

The Discomfort Zone: A Personal History (Jonathan Franzen, 2007)

First off, I must confess I still haven't read The Corrections. I bought it when it first came out in trade paper because it was on ridiculous sale at the bookstore in Wallingford Center when I was buying my glasses, but have been resistant to starting it, probably because it was so hyped and can't possibly live up to expectations. Also it's fat and therefore sits unread on the shelf with its fellow weighty and intimidating tome, DeLillo's Underworld. I'm not too proud to admit this.

I ordered this for the library, and when it came in, something made me grab it up off the new books shelf. I was in a bit of a memoir phase at the time. Anyway, I really, really loved it. Franzen mostly sticks to his adolescence, which is of course a period rife with embarrassments and torments. This ground has been covered exhaustively by too many writers to list, but this is a pretty fresh take on a familiar subject. Also, I liked the way Franzen tells his stories in pieces, as interconnected essays. The deviation from a strict, linear narrative made so much sense. The point of memoir isn't to lay out a strict chronology, after all. I care about the feelings and experiences and how they fit together. Now that I've finished this, I think I might be ready for The Corrections in the next few months.