by John Irving
1989
What is this 617-page slab o’ popular writing about? A tiny boy who
shouts, who is God’s instrument. Faith, doubt, premeditation, the
dumbing of America, television, Why Were We In Vietnam, sacrifice,
righteousness, search for father, search for self, search for national
identity. Owen is that tiny boy, become a tiny man, who sacrifices his
life to save children, as he always knew he would. Johnny, the
narrator, is his best friend, who learns to have faith in God even as he
grows more cynical about America.
Just as everything Owen does
is for a purpose, so everything written in the book has a purpose –
Irving doesn’t mention a palm tree unless it matters, so it’s fairly
easy to guess what will happen to Owen as each new clue is dropped. On
the other hand, I never guessed who Johnny’s father was. I was slightly
put off by Irving’s rich liberal critique of the less straight-laced
left: Abbie Hoffman, rock & roll, even the naive single-mindedness
of youth is condescendingly dismissed by Irving. On the whole, I admire
the book’s power. The writing may not be so very rich or the symbolism
subtle, but Irving fiddles with potent philosophical questions, the
characters are powerfully drawn, and yes, it is sad when Owen dies. I
fell under the book’s spell.
four stars
