I forgot something...A review in one long part.

 
I know I just posted, but this old brain ain't what it used to be. 

Last week I read The Wold According to Garp by John Irving and it's easily one of the best books I have ever read. There is nothing fake or trashy about it, no needlessly demanding language (like Stephen King's stuff) and because the book is not technically difficult, one is lulled into a false sense of security and is unprepared for the difficulties that lie ahead.

The characters are not far-out or unbelievable, they are real people (just like I like them) which makes their stories easier to read because you're not distracted by thoughts of, "bullshit, that would never happen," which I loathe. The thing about casual, real characters is the stories (both Irving's and Garp's) aren't cluttered up as they would be with OTT, unrealistic characters. Ordinarily a book would feel sluggish and constipated (talking about the book, not someone's bowel) with that many people packed in, but it just feels like there are more directions in which to turn and more stories to unravel. I adore Garp, because how could you not?! But the two characters that got me are Garp's eldest son, Duncan (the one-eyed and later one-armed artist) and Roberta Muldoon, formerly known as Robert Muldoon, tight-end for the Philidelphia Eagles (old Number Ninety). 

The scenes are so neatly crafted that they're almost like memories, you know? Like something that you may have seen, or could possibly see - they're ordinary (for the most part) and this makes them extraordinary because one is allowed to take stock and notice the minutiae of the story and of the individual scenes. They're not over-blown or fantastical, which is kind of a nice change. You can see Garp chasing down speeding cars in his neighbourhood and chuckle to yourself. You can see the horrific but accidental car accident that occurs in the Garps' driveway and it is in the silences, the wordlessnesses, in this particular scene that you realise - despite it not being mentioned - that Garp's youngest son, Walt, has been killed. And your heart pumps heavily in your chest upon unfolding the scene of Jenny Fields' assassination (she's Garp's mother and sorry for the spoiler) at a political rally. I had to put the book down for a second when I got up to the bit where Roberta cradles Jenny's body in her strong, careful arms and rushes her to a police car.

Irving's clever addition of Garp's own stories gives extra depth to his novel. I've read a few other books where a main character is a writer and the attempt to include said character's stories just doesn't work out because it seems to be too difficult to maintain the different voices of the stories. No such issue in this book. My favourite of Garp's stories (there are a few, including one informal one he tells to Walt about road safety) is - hands down - The Pension Grillparzer which is about a family who travels around Vienna rating the various boarding houses and hotels they stop at. This story is based in one in particular where a circus family - and their bear - is staying. I won't ruin it for you anymore than I already have, but the bear is the best character. In the story one of Garp's characters looks under the door to the bathroom and sees the bear's feet where he expected a person's feet to be. Hilarious.

Usually I'd read a book as well-crafted as this by a writer as talented at John Irving is and know for sure that there is no point in my ever attempting to write something of my own because it simply would not compete with whatever it is I had just read. In this case, it's different. I don't feel that way after having read The World According to Garp. This book seems to encourage one to put pen to paper and give it a go. The unassuming overall tone and the intricate but almost ordinary occurrences allow one to really believe that it's possible to publish one's own work.

So, to put an end to this untidy gushing of praise, read The World According to Garp if you have never done so. I promise that you won't be disappointed and it will leave you thinking about it for days (that's how you know it's good!) and keep you thoroughly entertained the whole way through. It genuinely is one of the best books I have read, both in terms of characters and the general feel of the book itself, and I'm glad to have read it.