Ran Shiftan Shiftan থেকে Dennis, MA 02638, USA
treat yourself. Dark,humourous and strange
i have an ongoing love affair with john irving, and it all started with this book. i read it for the first time when i was a tad too young, and it has had a freakishly large impact on me. it is not necessarily grand or epic in any sense, and the story is ridiculous and morbid and almost fantastical with its excessive insanity. now, i want to look at it with a condescending and adultlike detachment, believing life has a much higher purpose than wading through the soap opera depicted here. but what i learned, again at a too young age, is that the dirty, dark and crazy melodrama is the best part of any existence. the juicy stuff is what makes us tick. this book is a must-read. it goes rather quickly, rollicking through the lives and sexual escapades of the characters without much time to catch a breath. you will keep reading just to know if something more ridiculous will happen soon, but find yourself surprised at your attachment to the characters. even when irving becomes a bit obsessive with description, it only paints a deeper image in your mind. it is also unbelievably moving - there is a section that i tend to skip now, simply because i will start sobbing too hard if i read it. but i also find myself laughing out loud to other parts, frequently through the tears. i learned what a douche bag was from this book. that was an awkward conversation with my health teacher...