I usually steer clear from a book that merely repackages past essays but as I was waiting for my turn to borrow Franzen's latest work from the library, I figured I may as well pick up this book (another was his memoir) to fill in the gap. So I went into the book with minimal expectations, hoping to just skim through it. But I was transfixed the moment I read his opening essay, an account on Alzheimer and how his father, suffering long from the terrible disease, had slowly drifted into oblivion and lost his self before finally dying of the disease and Alzheimer had chewed away not only his brain, but also his sense of being. It was poignant in understating the grief of loss and simply the agony of watching a beloved family member shrivel in such a way and just somehow, Franzen manages to throw in some wit into the piece.
Okay, I admit I was a little put off by Franzen crusade against the TV and internet and how he tries hard to sell himself as the last defender of truth and beauty by stubbornly resisting the mainstream fervour for new gadgets. But Franzen, as always, is brilliant at peeling the skin of the matter and arguing in a way that is both informative and relatable to the reader. Moreover, tracing the essays gives the reader a sense of how Franzen grew as a writer and as a person, stylistically and also psychologically. All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed this collection and I now find myself watching out for more of his essays.