The Twenty-Seventh City

by Jonathan Franzen

3 of 5 stars

This first novel by Franzen was alright. It's a big book to swallow at over 500 pages, and the plot is like swimming through a maze of tunnels filled with 90-weight gear lube. With upwards of 50 characters, I repeatedly found myself asking, "Now who was that again?" It must have taken me a month to finish it.

The story takes place in St. Louis, once the 4th largest city in the US, now the 27th. The main character, Martin Probst, who engineered and built the St. Louis arch, gets mixed up in a plot hatched by the new chief of police, S. Jammu, to make millions in real estate by buying up the ghetto, kicking everyone out, and then reviving the ghetto with an urban renewal project, sponsored by the city's 12 most influential business people. Jammu convinces the business people that this is a good idea by kidnapping their wives and blowing up their cars. (As you might guess, I've oversimplified this.)

Franzen's writing style makes this book readable. His stark prose echoes truth and humor. His characters' lonliness is palpable. Unfortunately, this story loses itself in a murky plot.