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znorgaard 's review for:
The World According to Garp
by John Irving
An absolutely wonderful book. As the forward said, it's unfortunate that this book is still relevant today. The World According to Garp is an exploration of how we judge others for personal decisions. It forces the issue with absurd situations (like the conceiving of Garp) and with realistic but potentially uncomfortable situations, . It grapples with women rights and trans rights. John Irving does an excellent job of framing the challenges faced by these people and their different responses to the problem. He asks us to consider what they're feeling and if we disagree with their response does anyone gain anything from confronting them?
While much of the novel deals with inequalities in our society, it also focuses on tragedy and death. Irving depicts a healthy response to. How a family can accept that tragedy, grieve in their own ways, and ultimately move forward with their lives. It's not easy. It takes time. But it can be done. We also see an inappropriate response to tragedy through a side character, . Through Garp we get a particularly interesting perspective on how difficult it can be for an artist to move past a tragedy. To keep it from becoming the central and only focus of their work.
Through all of this, Irving focuses on the how personal perception of our work and world can differ significantly from how other perceive the same thing. He touches on how we have a tendency to use people as symbols when we rarely consider how they feel about being made a symbol or if they agree with all the ideas and actions being attached to them.
While the ideas in this novel are big, what really makes it a pleasure to read are the characters. They all have strengths and weaknesses. None of them are "the best" at anything. They all mess up. In the words of the book, they feel true.
The only stumbling point for this book is that some of the dialogue feels a touch stilted in the midst of such a "true" feeling book.
Spoiler
the Garps' and Fletchers' relationshipWhile much of the novel deals with inequalities in our society, it also focuses on tragedy and death. Irving depicts a healthy response to
Spoiler
a child's deathSpoiler
Pooh Percy blames Garp for her sister's death and lets her hate for him direct her lifeThrough all of this, Irving focuses on the how personal perception of our work and world can differ significantly from how other perceive the same thing. He touches on how we have a tendency to use people as symbols when we rarely consider how they feel about being made a symbol or if they agree with all the ideas and actions being attached to them.
While the ideas in this novel are big, what really makes it a pleasure to read are the characters. They all have strengths and weaknesses. None of them are "the best" at anything. They all mess up. In the words of the book, they feel true.
The only stumbling point for this book is that some of the dialogue feels a touch stilted in the midst of such a "true" feeling book.