Jonathan Franzen Demonstrates His Spirit Animal Is Lucille Bluth

In a recent interview with The Guardian's Alison Flood promoting his hefty new novel, Purity, Jonathan Franzen made a startling admission. As Flood put it, "He once considered adopting an Iraqi war orphan to help him understand young people better, but was persuaded against it by his editor." Franzen, with the benefit of hindsight, concedes the absurdity of the plan: "Oh, it was insane, the idea." To put it gently, yes. Tone-deaf, insensitive comments that rub less privileged writers and reader...