Brought back memories of Bay Street Theatre in the Hamptons because a lot of the action takes place there. The book has the typical John Irving touches: symbolic amputations, sex, and dead children. The book is about writers. Ted (a children's writer) and Marion (a crime writer later on) are married with 2 dead kids and a daughter, Ruth (who becomes a famous novelist). Ted hires 16-year-old Eddie (future novelist) to assist him and have him sleep with Marion.
For a novel that spans over 30 years, not a lot of plot happens, which is strange for an Irving novel. Instead it delves deeper into its characters by exploring how writers write and what they write about, namely how real life and their written stories interrelate.
The book doesn't trump "The World According to Garp" as my personal fave out of his oeuvre, but it has one unforgettable car crash that still gives me the creeps. The end felt unsatisfying to me and there's a plot detour in Amsterdam that feels so out of place with the book's tone.
No comments:
Post a Comment