#41: The World According to Garp by John Irving

When I saw John Irving last week, he carefully explained to the audience that everything he writes is somehow related to his biggest fears. Of course, this is exceptionally true in Garp, where just about everything everyone is ever afraid of actually happens. Some parts of life are scary, such as death or loss of a great love, and when I was reading about them here I felt what I can only describe as overwhelming appreciation. Not only was Irving able to develop characters with depth but he also gave them the flaws that so many of us attribute to a single defect within ourselves. I guess what I mean is, the characters in Garp have the kind of quirks I like to see in real life.

On a somewhat related note, I’ve been trying to write this review for a couple of days now and the above paragraph is all I’ve been able to get out. There were times when I became sort of angry that I didn’t have a whole lot to put out there. What I think this means about the book is that it offers a story - not much more, not much less. It tells a multi-generational family tale that and while it certainly had an effect on me, it does not leave a whole lot for discussion. The novel just is what it is. I used to think I had to be able to discuss themes and characters and ongoing issues here, but I understand now that this interpretation isn’t always necessary. Sometimes it’s best to let a book be and move on to the next.