My review of The World According to Garp, by John Irving

The World According to Garp

by John Irving

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

After rescuing this curled up thirty-plus-year-old paperback from a railway platform waiting room bin, The World According to Garp would not be re-dumped. Rehoused and adopted, it kept me up way too late into the night, for all the best reasons.

This funny, evocative, at times poignant tale by John Irving had me hooked from the outset. It's no wonder he went on to score a raft of awards, for print and screen. The narrative chronicles the life of T. S. Garp, whose strong-minded single mother, nurse Jenny, wanted a child but no husband.

After we see Garp through his comical formative years he grows up to become an author. His mother, Jenny, also writes on the sly, eventually gaining greater acclaim than Garp. Jenny's autobiography, A Sexual Suspect, makes her a feminist icon with a cult following known as the Ellen Jamesians, named after a small girl whose tongue was cut out by rapists. Jenny's bizarre cult members cut out their tongues in tribute to young Ellen Jamesian. His mother's infamy is a bone of contention to the less radical Garp who, maintaining filial loyalty, is inwardly torn.

John Irving's characters have a quirky realism that thrills and resonates authenticity. Even the most absurd situations are engaging and credible, worthy of bringing a wicked smile to anyone's face. Central themes include gender roles, sexuality and death.

The first paperback edition won America's National Book Award for Fiction in 1980. The 1982 film adaptation, starring Robin Williams in the title role, saw John Lithgow and Glenn Close respectively nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role, at the 55th Academy Awards.

Not my usual genre, I haven't read anything like it. Highly recommended for a lighthearted but good, solid read.

*Footnote - always check railway platform waiting room bins.