May 31, 2006
Review: Strong Motion by Jonathan Franzen ::
books — tagged books, environment, fiction, Jonathan Franzen, love story, Massachusetts and Somerville
8:47 pm
I neglected to mention that two weeks ago I read my first post-JD novel. And I must say that Strong Motion was a great way to get into recreational reading, even if my foray was cut short by studying for the Vermont Bar.
But seriously: what a great book. Before writing this, I went back to check my review of The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen’s other, perhaps better-known book. And although it seems from that review that I enjoyed it much more than I remember, I have to say that Strong Motion was even better. In addition to the complicated characters and emotionally intense personal narratives, this book has a much more plot-centered structure, which I have grown to appreciate more as I’ve gotten older. Not only that, but the plot is particularly compelling: a corporation’s dumping of toxic chemicals into a four-mile deep shaft in Peabody, Massachussetts leads to earthquakes throughout the greater Boston area. So in addition to having the characters drive me ever forward in reading the story, I also had an impending environmental disaster to add to the tension. In the end, I didn’t even question whether such a situation were actually not scientifically feasible.
Throughout my adult life, I have been searching for novels that most accurately describe what I consider to be the Generation X condition. Although no author could render that condition perfectly, Franzen does come up with a compelling narrative, combining loneliness, advancing technology, abortion politics, environmental degredation, overconsumption, and unregulated business into a cohesive story that constantly makes me say, “yeah, this is what life is really like.” And what’s particularly amazing is that Franzen wrote this book back in 1992. I only wish I’d taken the time to read this book sooner.
