I have something of a mixed history with novelist John Irving. In this 2007 post, I raved about three of his earlier novels. Since that time I found myself quite unable to get into his later works A Widow For One Year or Until I Find You. Though I brought both of these books home several times I was never able to get past the first few pages of either. Then I kind of lost track of Mr. Irving for a time and missed a couple of other books he wrote. Then last week I happened upon Last Night In Twisted River and consumed the 554 page novel at a rapid clip. Last Night In Twisted River is the story of Dominic Baciagalupo, a widower with a young son who is the cook for a logging camp in Coos county New Hampshire.
While this novel touches on several broad themes from Irving’s earlier works, notably abortion, the Vietnam War and the life of a writer, Last Night In Twisted River is primarily a tale of fathers and sons spanning the years between 1954 to 2005 and taking place in New England and Canada. As was the case with Irving’s earlier novels A Prayer For Owen Meany and The Cider House Rules I am thrilled and impressed with Irving’s depth of characterization and highly intricate plotting. In that 2007 review I noted that Irving can rightly be compared to great novelists like Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. The cover blurbs on Last Night In Twisted River compare him to Balzac, Byron and Shakespeare and in all sincerity these comparisons seem entirely apt to me.
I honestly don’t know why I was never able to get into A Widow For One Year or Until I Find You, but Last Night In Twisted River is an exceptional and deeply moving novel that makes me believe again that Irving is one of the most gifted living novelists in the English language. Last Night In Twisted River– Very Highly Recommended.
I loved A Prayer for Owen Meany but thought Garp and Hotel were just OK. Cider House Rules was somewhere in between. I’ll put his new book on my list, although the length will give me cause for procrastination. I’m reading The Lacuna now–also too long.
Thanks so much for your comment, Patti. I’ve added your site to my blogroll.