Sabesan Eesan Eesan itibaren Bhagabanpur, Odisha 756117, Inde
I procrastinated starting this book for a long time because I felt daunted by its length (600 + pages), but once I cracked it open, the story kept moving and getting through the whole thing didn't feel like a chore at all. The book is about Owen, a boy who is "different" -- the difference that sets him apart the most is his small stature and his voice, which never matures. I think he may be a midget, but that's never said explicitly. He believes that he is "God's instrument" and lives his whole life with the belief that he's on the path God has chosen for him, fulfilling his destiny. The narrator of the novel is Owen's best friend, John. As his best friend, John is so clearly devoted to Owen (and vice versa) that this is one of the most moving novels about friendship that I've ever read. It's also comical in an ironic way and heart-warming in the earnestness of its characters. Each character is fully developed -- even the ones who are only on the scene for a short while -- so that reading it truly is an immersion experience, and you have no trouble completely inhabiting John Irving's world. My favorite part about this book was its examination of questions of faith. My least favorite were long "summaries" that brought us through certain, unimportant years in the character's lives (the novel takes place over about 40 years, with only 20 of them being quite detailed). I have a lot of questions about John Irving's reasons for certain details in the novel and wish I had someone to discuss their significance with. My main bone to pick with the novel is that I was under the impression that there would be a "twist" in the ending, but instead it played out exactly as I'd expected. It also ended too abruptly, not giving the reader any time to ease out of the world she's spent so much time and thought in. But still, an impressive rea