A Prayer for Owen Meany - A

My favorite book from 2009 was also the second to last book I read last year--A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. The novel was highly recommended by multiple people whose opinions I trust, so my expectations were high. Nevertheless, Owen Meany exceeded my expectations.

The novel is about the lives of John Wheelwright and his best friend, Owen Meany, who grew up together in a small New England town.  Most of the action takes place during the 1950s and 1960s though the narrator, John Wheelwright, is telling the story in the late 1980s.

What makes a great novel for me?

I always start with the characters--particularly the protagonist.  Did I find Owen Meany compelling?  Extremely.  Will Owen stick with me long after I finished the novel?  He's unforgettable.

Then, how was the novel written?  In this case, beautifully.  The novel flows, the language near perfect.  Owen Meany is one of the few novels I have read in recent years where I somewhat wished I was back in college and had a highlighter attached to my hand.  A large reason that the novel "works" is that the narrator is Owen's lifelong friend, John Wheelwright.  In my opinion, Irving had to use a third person, particularly one with whom Owen had shared life experiences, in order to best capture Owen.  (Book club question No. 1:  How reliable is John's narration?)

Did the novel make me think?  Almost too much.  As I was reading the novel, I was bombarded by themes.  Life and death.  Fate vs self determination.  Self fulfilling prophesies?  Religious themes (many of which I may have missed).  Sexual themes.  (Book club question No. 2:  Discuss the symbolism surrounding each theme.)

I could write much more here, but as per this blog's mandate, I will not give any of the plot of the novel away, and to provide more color would necessitate "spoilers."

I often say that a great book "makes me a better person."  I learn something.  I recognize the "art."  In other words, I'm more than entertained.  A Prayer for Owen Meany satisfies this criteria for me more than any other book I read in 2009.  If you like reading literature (particularly literature written in a modern, non-Hawthorian style), read Owen Meany.  Or read The World According to Garp which my sister, who highly recommended Owen Meany, said was "better" after I finished Owen Meany!

Live long, read and prosper.