The Corrections

It was refreshing to read a modern book after so many older ones, but man does Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections remind you of the intolerability of every human being. Just as you start to like a character, you realize they're a terrible person.  And you know what?  That's the absolute truth of everyone on this earth—even the ones we love the most.  It's just that in real life you don't have access to their selfish and irrational thoughts and emotions so you just don't realize how awful they really are.

Gary, Caroline (really, I hated Caroline the most. So childish) and Enid's self-centeredness are infuriating. Denise and Chip's somewhat-relatable emotionally driven-priorities cause self-reflection.  Alfred's mental condition is terrifying.  But the biggest surprise and softed part of the book for me, was the level of love that Alfred had for his children that was uncovered by his dementia. So powerful.

The Corrections was honest and entertaining, though often uncomfortable and heartbreaking. That's the nature of real family life though, which is what gives it so much strength.