A review by richardrbecker
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
emotional
funny
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
While A Prayer for Owen Meany is often called a book about faith (written by an author who self-describes himself as faithless), it's more of a hidden (and forbidden) love story ahead of its time. The story is told to us by narrator John Wheelwright, Owen Meany's best friend.
John is a complex character, bitter and angry about religion and politics. While some might mistake his anger primarily against the Reagan administration, it later becomes clear that John, although now living as a Canadian, is angry about American politics in general. This resentment grew out of The Vietnam War and cost him the life of his best friend. His bitterness toward religion is multifaceted, initially rooted in his family's decision to change denominations, but eventually tested and reconciled.
His best friend, Owen, is a tiny person with a big personality and an annoyingly squeaky voice. In contrast to John, Owen believes he was put on this Earth as an instrument of God. He also thinks everything is fated, a conviction underscored by dreams and prophecies that give Owen vivid insight into his own death. Unfortunately, he also killed John's mother, accidentally hitting a foul ball that broke her neck at a Little League game.
On its surface, the book is simple. We know at the onset that Owen's miraculous death is how John can eventually resolve his faith. But in the development of the story, we find the plot and subplots are beautifully complex, especially because John Irving does such a fantastic job leading his readers astray by feeding them false assumptions — enough so that Irving could tell which reviewers read his book and which merely skimmed the first few chapters.
Irving accomplishes this feat by pretending to provide a rambling narrative. In reality, Irving wrote the book backward, finish to start, and masks many of the novel's surprises by being astutely in control of its telling. In this way, much of the novel feels like an exercise of free will despite being painstakingly predetermined. (Even John Wheelwright's Master's thesis is about writer Thomas Hardy, an author obsessed with fate.)
Yet, it is not merely fate and faith that Irving explores. As mentioned, the actual plot is a love story, just under the surface. In a nutshell...
"If you care about something you have to protect it – If you're lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it." ― John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany
John is a complex character, bitter and angry about religion and politics. While some might mistake his anger primarily against the Reagan administration, it later becomes clear that John, although now living as a Canadian, is angry about American politics in general. This resentment grew out of The Vietnam War and cost him the life of his best friend. His bitterness toward religion is multifaceted, initially rooted in his family's decision to change denominations, but eventually tested and reconciled.
His best friend, Owen, is a tiny person with a big personality and an annoyingly squeaky voice. In contrast to John, Owen believes he was put on this Earth as an instrument of God. He also thinks everything is fated, a conviction underscored by dreams and prophecies that give Owen vivid insight into his own death. Unfortunately, he also killed John's mother, accidentally hitting a foul ball that broke her neck at a Little League game.
On its surface, the book is simple. We know at the onset that Owen's miraculous death is how John can eventually resolve his faith. But in the development of the story, we find the plot and subplots are beautifully complex, especially because John Irving does such a fantastic job leading his readers astray by feeding them false assumptions — enough so that Irving could tell which reviewers read his book and which merely skimmed the first few chapters.
Irving accomplishes this feat by pretending to provide a rambling narrative. In reality, Irving wrote the book backward, finish to start, and masks many of the novel's surprises by being astutely in control of its telling. In this way, much of the novel feels like an exercise of free will despite being painstakingly predetermined. (Even John Wheelwright's Master's thesis is about writer Thomas Hardy, an author obsessed with fate.)
Yet, it is not merely fate and faith that Irving explores. As mentioned, the actual plot is a love story, just under the surface. In a nutshell...
"If you care about something you have to protect it – If you're lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it." ― John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany