Nearly a decade following the publication of his highly-acclaimed novel, The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen brings long-waiting readers his newest work, Freedom. Even before the book hit store shelves, the publishing world buzz and mainstream media hype was nearly unbearable. (Would Oprah risk another Franzen rebuff by selecting his novel as a Book Club choice? Is there any New York Times accolade that Franzen has not collected?)

My advice: put aside all the stuff you’ve read about the book, and simply sit back and allow yourself to enjoy it. This is a great book. And by great, I mean it ranks right up there among the best contemporary American novels. This is a book with a grand sweep. There’s a large cast of characters that span all ages, as well as a storyline that covers more than 30 years and explores issues ranging from the influence of Big Coal on American politics to the way families both nurture and destroy.

It doesn’t take more than a few pages before you’ll be sucked in to the story of the Berglund family. Franzen tells this saga by zeroing in on Walter and Patty as innocent, eager college students, then moving back in time to reveal the life events that have shaped these two hopelessly-in-love people. Walter is a deeply sensitive young man with social values reminiscent of the Sixties who constantly measures himself up against his college roommate, the rock star and enviably detached Rick Katz. Patty is a former college athlete, whose boundless energy evaporates into a midlife depression and obsession for Katz. Their son Joey, with whom Patty has an achingly unhealthy attachment, decides that living with their next door neighbors (politically and socially repugnant to the Berglunds in everyway) is preferable to living at home (this nearly destroys Patty and Walter) in no small part because of his attraction to Claire, the neighbor’s daughter. This decision, along with a host of others, defines the events of the entire novel.

The beauty in the book is partly in the story itself, but also in the razor-sharp understanding Franzen brings to his characters, especially Patty. As Joey pulls away from his family, Patty struggles to sustain her attachment to her son—an attachment that ultimately suffocates, alienates and confuses him. She understands him as only a parent can, but can’t distance herself enough to help him. Meanwhile, Walter plays tough love, estranging himself from both his wife and his son. The precision with which Franzen describes these family dynamics is immaculate.

The story is told in an unusual form with long stretches of narrative, marked by a middle section written by Patty in the third person for her therapist. In this section, Franzen further displays his powers of insight to and understanding of his characters.

I recommend this book highly. I was amazed at the beauty of the writing and the way in which Franzen documents our contemporary world. This book is both current and timeless, and I suspect will have a permanent place alongside the greats in American literature. It is a book that manages to be important and entertaining at the same time. So don’t be swayed by the Oprah sticker or the New York Times endorsement—just read this book like you would any other. You are in for a treat. ~Wendee