First published 2010
Patty and Walter Berglund once embodied progressive idealism in old St. Paul. She recycled batteries and managed neighborhood problems. He worked as an environmental lawyer and biked to work. They raised their children with care and shopped at Whole Foods. But something has gone wrong. Their teenage son now lives with the Republican family next door. Walter has taken a job with a coal company. Richard Katz, Walter's college friend and a musician, keeps appearing in their lives. Patty herself has changed completely. The woman who once solved problems for everyone has become angry and unpredictable. Her neighbors watch as she unravels on Barrier Street. Franzen follows three people as they navigate marriage, parenthood, and middle age in modern America. The novel examines how personal choices intersect with larger forces like environmental destruction and political division.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, social-issues, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, social-commentary
Setting: St. Paul, America
Period: modern
562 pages · Hardcover · Farrar, Straus and Giroux