Extra Copy.

We first meet Ruth Cole in the summer of 1958 when she walks in on her mother having sex with 16-year-old Eddie O'Hare, the assistant to Ruth's alcoholic father. The death of Ruth's older brothers (years before she was born) turns her mother, Marion, into a zombie who is unable to love her surviving daughter. Ted Cole is a semisuccessful writer and illustrator of disturbingly creepy children's novels. His womanizing habits prove he's "as deceitful as a damaged condom," but he remains the only stable figure in Ruth's life. The tempestuous tale fast-forwards to the year 1990 when Ruth's soaring writing career is faring far better than her lackluster love life. The final segment of the novel ends in 1995 when 41-year-old Ruth is ready to fall in love for the first time.

Mailed to muzette today.

Just a quick note to mention that the book found its way to my house. He did not suffer at all! Will journal again when I am done reading the book.

I recently finished the book. I can say that I did enjoy it but it was not my favourite book from Irving. For some reason, I felt that he was going in too many directions at the same time, and this lack of focused, in my view, made it difficult to get the full depth of any recurring theme: whether it was the concept of a writer's imagination, love and death (mourning) or sexual power.

I found the theme of autobiographical vs imaginary writing quite interesting. Is a novel better (i.e. more powerful, touching) when it takes its source in the experience of the author? It seems to be the case with Eddie since the only time when he is brillant is when he writes about what he knows in the photo shop, not in his subsequent novels.

I thought that Ruth's point of view with regards to prostitution was daring: "The conventional wisdom is that prostitution is a kind of rape for money; in truth, in prostitution -- maybe only in prostitution -- the woman seems in charge". Is she truly in charge? Or is she driven by some traumatic event in her past, or maybe some feeling of inadequacy...? Therefore, if something even unconscious motivates her choices and actions, can we say that she is in charge even though she does not have a pint? This is an interesting debate which can also be used in the case of pornography.

All in all, a good book, worth discussing.

I released the book at the last Meetup at "L'Amere à Boire".

I picked this up at the MeetUp. Thanks, Muzette! I have never read anything by John Irving and am curious to see if I like this.