'Crossroads' is a novel in which Jonathan Franzen, through the example of one family, depicts the turmoil, emotional upheaval, and ethical crisis of early 1970s America. Russ Hildebrandt, a father and parish priest already regretting the past, faces several trials at once: forbidden love, loss of authority, and the abrupt and cruel alienation of his children.

This novel is rich in details that convey the spirit of the era and the nature of the doubts that gripped society at the time. But above all, it is about six people, members of a single family, too close and at the same time unique to avoid hurting each other in the inevitable clashes. This is the pain of children from their parents' weakness, the pain of parents from responsibility for what is beyond their control in their children. Jonathan Franzen tells a story about human connections and human loneliness, about how close people are capable of tormenting each other not only through restrictions but also through non-interference. This is a story about the series of crossroads that everyone faces at one point or another in their lives. No matter how bitter human freedom may be, it always leaves room for hope: 'Life is a mess, and that's wonderful.'