The World According To Garp

John Irving

Harry mentioned John Irving some time back, which reminded me that I hadn't tried any of Irving's books since A Prayer For Owen Meany, which I greatly enjoyed. So I picked up The World According To Garp from the library, which, according to some info on the Internet, is the book that made John Irving famous as a writer. The first thing that struck me was the biographical style. It's as if it someone was writing a biography of a man called Garp. The title should have given it away, I guess. Well, I was a little taken aback by the biographical style because I was expecting a novel. But Irving gradually drew me into the story. It starts off with Garp's mother, Jenny, and how she brings Garp into the world. The first part of Garp's life, I didn't find particularly interesting and the biographical style was really putting me off. Then as Garp grew up, became a writer and had a family, the story really took off. I enjoyed spending time with Garp, his wife, his mother, his children, his friends. I loved the irrepressible Garp, with his one-liners and punch-lines. He reminded me a little of Owen Meany, small, opinionated, ferociously loyal.

Inserted in the novel are stories written by Garp. These I skipped over impatiently, as I was more interested in Garp's story then the stories he wrote. Which is ironic, because Garp wanted the world to know only his works of writing and not about his personal life.

On the whole, I enjoyed the book especially the second half. It has Irving's trademark quirky characters, anecdotes and one-liners on various social issues, as well as entertainment value. But I think that A Prayer For Owen Meany is the better book.