The Corrections question

I read in many of the reviews in goodreads for this book that it made readers identify themselves or their family situations with the story. Many of my friends also said the same. And it usually follows that it was an amazing and touching book if they could identify themselves and not a good book if they couldn't. And i feel quite strange, cause i loooved the book, like all franzen books (maybe a bit more) and i didn't identify myself or my family with the storytelling.
So, when did it become so important that for a story to be good we have to find ourselves in it? What do you think?