Okay, I'll freely admit that I haven't read the book myself (but reviews like this don't make me want to!); so, I merely direct you to Michiko Kakutani's take on expat Jonathan Franzen's new memoir "The Discomfort Zone."

Apparently Our Man in the World is a sort of miserable but superior being. But hey, Webster Groves, take heart: you're described as "in the middle of the country in the middle of the golden age of the American middle class." So, you know, things could be worse.

Oh, maybe I'm just jealous: I contacted Franzen back in 2001 to see if he would write for our "Expatriates" section, and he got back to me, letting me know it was just bad timing, as he had a new project that occupied most of his waking hours. So, you know, he gave up exposure on our site just for that! Who ever heard of "The Corrections"? :)

Posted under People by Amanda Doyle on Tue., Aug 29, 2006 at 11:33 AM