Freedom

Recently Amazon.com recommended the novel "Freedom" to me. I don't read a lot of new novels, but the title seemed interesting to me. Anyway, today I read an article by David Brooks criticizing "Freedom". I've said before that I think of David Brooks as sort of a simp without a very accurate grasp of reality. But his critique of the novel intrigued me. Apparently the novel touches on suburban malaise, in the tradition of Revolutionary Road or the film American Beauty. Brooks claims very coherently that the novel never gets beyond a bland, superficial, imbecilic version of characters or the culture of the United States in general. Readers are left with a perhaps accurate portrayal of what's ugly in our society, but none of the redeeming qualities, none of the depth or nuance of real people, what Brooks refers to as that which is "lofty and ennobling". Anyway, it looks like an interesting read. Maybe I'll get my hands on it somehow.