A Prayer for Owen Meany

John Irving's slow-starter, A Prayer for Owen Meany, pulls out all the stops. It is, at its very core, a no holds barred comedic tragedy. For all my film fans, let's call it a "dramedy," or a "triumph of the human spirit."

Although published in the 1980s, Owen Meany's beginning is set in 1952. Our narrator is Owen's best friend, Johnny Wheelwright. John, an expatriate now living in Canada--where the year is 1987, tells Owen's story through a slew flashbacks. The one thing he gives Owen credit for is his belief in God. I don't want anyone here to think that this book's main plot line/message is about religion though, it's not. Owen just happened to be a very religious person...among many other things.

When we finally meet Owen Meany, we can tell that he is very different from many of the other "normal" kids. For one thing, he is white as a ghost--to the point where Johnny describes him as almost translucent when the light hits him at the right angle. Owen is also very small for his age, and wise beyond his years. But the most interesting thing about Owen is his voice. It is so shockingly different that all of Owen's dialogue is written IN CAPITAL LETTERS! 

I don't want to give too much away, so let me summarize in the best, spoiler-free way I know how. As we go through Johnny and Owen's life, we begin to realize that Owen is an extraordinary human being. He is too smart for his own good. He knows things about his life, and Johnny's, that no one should ever have to know. To give you a better idea of what I mean, let me disclose this one small fact. The story ends up taking its audience the whole way into the Vietnam war. A war, which Owen believes, he is destined to fight. It is a war he believes he is supposed to fight. That being said, one can imagine this story takes us pretty far into these two boys' lives, and that is true. The boys are barely ten when the book starts. Their lives, Owen's life, is chronicled in such a way that it demands to be read, understood, and valued for years to come.

I cannot say enough great things about this novel. Irving's use of foreshadowing is exemplary. You know those TV shows that mention something about a character in its first season, like they're allergic to chocolate? But in the fifth season that same character is chowing down on a candy bar and you're left with a very odd feeling of betrayal toward the show's creators and writers? Never fear, John Irving is here! No stone goes unturned in this novel. If something is brought up in the beginning of the story, you can bet your bottom dollar that it's there in the end! 

One thing I really loved was Irving's choice to capitalize all of Owen's dialogue. It really reminds the reader that Owen is human just like the rest of us. Because, believe me, there are times you will think of Owen as a God amongst mere mortals, but Irving always grounds him with "The Voice," and his inherent shortness as well as his translucent skin tone. Despite all of that though, A Prayer for Owen Meany is a book that will make you think, make you hurt, and make you realize that you're not really all that special in this world. 

In my humble opinion, there is almost no greater character in American literature than Owen Meany. I cannot even imagine how John Irving came up with the idea for this novel. I will warn you right now, there is a movie version. But it goes by a different name, and is quite different from novel. This is because Irving doesn't think there is a way to take this novel "from-page-to-screen," and he is absolutely right. The only way to comprehend this novel is to read it. This time, there is no substitute. Please, if you made it through this review with even the slightest inkling that you may want to read this novel, then, by all means, I IMPLORE YOU TO DO SO! 

I give this novel 5/5 stars.

(Oh, and one helpful hint...you may want to have tissues handy as you read. You never know when you may need them.)

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The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood's amazing feat, The Handmaid's Tale, is set in a dystopian America in the 1980s. It follows the life of its narrator, a Handmaid named Offred. 

Offred is in her late twenties when a group called the Sons of Jacob attacks the White House and kills the President. Immediately things begin to change in Offred's world. She can no longer use her credit card, only her husband can. She is no longer allowed to work, that's only for men. Once she and her husband realize how bad the situation has gotten, they try to flee the country, but are quickly caught and separated. 

Offred is presented with a choice, become one of three things: an Aunt, a Martha, or a Handmaid. If anyone refuses to fulfill these roles, they are marked as an Unwoman and sent to "the colonies" where they are exposed to a large amount of radiation. As a Handmaid, Offred lives with a Commander and his wife, but there's a catch. The Commander and his wife are unable to have children, and that is the purpose of the Handmaid. Once a month, she is to participate in a ritual with the Commander that will hopefully get her pregnant. If she does become pregnant, and the baby is born without complication, she has done her job, and is sent to another Commander's house for the same purpose. 

We quickly learn that Offred's name wasn't always Offred. Her name changes with each Commander she is sent to. For example: Ofwarren, Ofglen, Ofpeter, etc. Even though we never do learn her real name, we, as readers, can feel her pain. She experienced a life before the world became cruel to women. Before women weren't allowed the luxury of reading, using lotion, marrying the man they choose, and leaving the house without a companion. The only thing keeping her going is a phrase carved into the floor of her closet by the previous tenant: "nolite te bastardes carborundorum." A simple translation, "Do not let the bastards grind you down." 

All-in-all, I really enjoyed this novel. It was enthralling from the very beginning. I felt everything Offred was feeling. She had gone through so much, she had a husband, a child, a life, before all of this happened. I wanted her to rebel so badly! When she found that carving, it felt like a sign. She was about to give up, then she found her will to live again. I rooted for her throughout the entirety of the novel. I really could not have enjoyed Atwood's interpretation of a dystopian society more. However...

I'm sure you'll hear me say this many times throughout this blog. It is so, so very hard to END a novel or book of any sort. Unfortunately, Atwood's epilogue was not successful in my opinion. It was lengthy, wordy, and did not follow the format of the rest of the story. It was very generic and felt like it came straight from a History textbook published in 1925. I believe Atwood tried to use technical wording in the epilogue to separate it from the rest of the story. I just feel like she did it unsuccessfully. I think if she had left the epilogue out and ended with her last chapter, I would have given the book 5 stars--no contest. 

Still, I feel that The Handmaid's Tale is something everyone should read. It explores gender biases and forces the reader to think in way that they never have before. It is rare for a book to accomplish what this one does. The characters beg to empathized with, the plotline flows flawlessly (if you discount the epilogue), and the reader ends the book feeling as if they experienced everything right along with Offred.

I give this novel 4/5 stars.


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