I chose Jonathan Franzen's Crossroads to download for my trip to Mexico, not just because it would keep me occupied for a while...yikes! A twenty-four hour audiobook? But because I had the choice of either taking it when became available on my library site or returning to the waiting list. I'm glad I took it.
What an achievement, both the writing, the narrating and yes, the listening. Twenty-four hours is a long time to listen to a book, even if one doesn't do so all at once. But hand it to Franzen for keeping another writer, me, not only interested in his story but also in his mastery of novel writing craft.
In the interview that concludes the narration, Franzen said that to move plot along each character has to need something. Need something in every scene and those needs, sometimes met, often not, really propel the story. He said he spends 75 % of his time on character and his brilliantly complex characterization is the satisfying result.
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