Like the title says I just finished this book and I don’t know how to feel. I really liked the story I thought it was so well written. I feel like I was there with Johnny and Owen throughout their childhood. But I don’t get the present day part of the story. Am I missing something deeper? It went on and on about American political history, and Johnny’s very boring life as a Canadian school teacher. How he hates reading newspapers but can’t help himself. I thought somehow it would tie together at the end, but I didn’t really see a pay off for that part of the story. The rest of the story was so nicely wrapped up I feel I must be missing something. Especially since as a teacher Johnny says his students miss so much in the description and that they only pay attention to the action and the dialogue. I feel like that was the author speaking to the reader but I must have missed what he was getting at! Please someone clue me in, I so very much want to love this book but I feel like a third of it could be cut out without losing anything.
by tmw222
2 Comments
it’s a long time since I read it. before I say anything, just want to check: do I have to tag every spoiler in my own
posts? or is it enough just to have the entire thread flaired?
some unremarkable thoughts in the meantime:
I didn’t find those parts unnecessary. I’m used to Irving, so maybe that helped. he always (imo) writes for a mood and a vibe. so on one level you get the story, but then on a different one you also get that atmosphere and that “feel”, which comes from the book as a whole. ime each one of his novels gives you a different aftertaste, but each one has one [I gave up on him with the fourth hand though, just syk].
I like both elements personally, so I was fine with his bishop strachan musings. I’m Canadian (kind of) so maybe I enjoyed them for that reason too. I got a bit of an “Onterrible! Hah!” kick out of them.
I seem to be one of the few people who didn’t especially like Owen or feel whatever it is that many do seem to feel about him. he kind of gave me the creeps, and I resented being ordered to accept that aLl PeOpLe AdOrE HiM, He JuSt HaS tHiS mAgNeTiSm.
but I think there’s an important contrast to be found in those parts of the book. >!john is in permanent mourning. he’s exiled too. that’s what his current life is about. he’s in limbo. you find out why -psychologically -at the very end.!<
read the first sentence of the book again. then flip to the end and read the last one. see if that helps to put the non-plot parts of everything in between into perspective for you. it did for me; in fact just spelling this out gave me a whole new respect for Irving as a writer.
As I remember it, the book is mostly Owen’s story, although we see it through Johnny’s eyes. The Canadian part, with Johnny as a teacher in exile there and no Owen, is kind of slow, but apart from checking with Johnny and seeing that without Owen around he is just an ordinary person, the main interest is really wondering where Owen is and what happened to him.
As another poster has told you, Irving writes for a mood and a vibe, and some parts of his novels are slice of life and not that focused in plot.