Tuesday, February 07, 2006
BOOK REVIEW: "Until I Find You" by John Irving
Like a lot of people, I "discovered" John Irving back in the early '80's with the papaerback edition of "The World According To Garp." Also like a lot of people, I have gone on to read every novel he has ever written, including those we wrote before Garp. I have read some of his short stories, but cannot lay claim to all of them.Until I Find You is at once his best and worst novel ever.
Irving has always written about the odd and the quirky, usually with an obvious love in his voice and with a strong sense of humor. I have also often felt that he did so at the expense of his characters. They lacked sufficient humanity often because they were too quirky and too funny. Such is not the case in this lastest book, the central character is a character of great humanity and for whom I have a great deal of sympathy and affection. That is the sense in which this is is greatest novel ever.
Having said that; however, the odd and quirky is there in this book, but it is more repulsive than humorous, which is the problem.
The book is the life story of a male that is born out of wedlock, raised by a mother that tells him his father is the worst of the worst and has rejected him completely, only to grow up and find out that his mother had manipulated him and his father, purposely keeping his father away. The book ends with the now adult character meeting his father, after the death of his mother, and finding happiness for the first time in his life. That simple plot is moving and compelling and vital.
But all the stuff that Irving hangs off that plot makes it very difficult to get through it to the heart of things. Our protagonist is sexually molested at a very young age, which is described in graphic detail which almost made me stop the book about a third of the way through. Irving has always written graphically about unusual and even very illicit sex - including a brother-sister incestuous relationship in "Hotel New Hampshire" but previously he always managed to titillate. Not so here, this was simply repulsive. That is just the most egregious example of a trend that seems to fit throughout the book.
Somehow, I wish this book could be re-written. That the marvelous plot and the sympathetic character could be cast in something a bit more mundane - more accessible.
In the end, I do not know if my reaction to the book was a difference in Irvinig's writing or in my maturity creating a different reaction to the same 'ole Irving. Probably need to go reread some of his old books to make sure.
I very much wish I could recommend this book unabashedly, but alas, I cannot. This is a fine, fine novel, but it is not for everyone.
Related Tags: John Irving, novel, book review, Until I Find You
