A Prayer For OWEN MEANY

I was told: Read this book. It will make you cry. It didn't make me cry, though I was trying very hard not to at the time. Though this novel by John Irving did take about 2 months to finish, it was a very worthwhile read. A brief summary: This is an account of Johnny Wheelwright's life as it connects to the life of one OWEN MEANY. Both boys grow up together and share the normal experiences of two awkward children, except for one vitally different event: the death of Johnny's mother. And OWEN MEANY had some sort of hand in it (I'd rather not give away too much of the plot, even though for the first 50 pages, you may doubt it's existence). The plot is includes a search for Johnny's father and the face that OWEN is haunted by the divine. If you are looking for a light read exempt of theology and other heavy matters, this isn't the book for you. The book doesn't deal with the question of whether God exists so much as how God exists.

Let me talk about Johnny. It's funny how easy it is to forget the supposed main character's name. This is due to the fact that a narrator wouldn't refer to himself in first person, and because John Irving wants to assert very subtly that Johnny, in fact, is not the main character. OWEN is. Johnny is exceedingly average: average intelligence, average extended family, average and mild. He grows up to be an English teacher in Canada and very single.

Let me talk about OWEN MEANY. I may be confusing those of you who haven't read this book by my caps lock. Those of you who have read it have probably grinned by now. I will explain. OWEN is extraordinary in almost every sense of the word. He is absolutely brilliant, compassionate, and very concerned with doing the right thing in the right way. He also has a special kind of charisma that either draws people to him or frightens them away. Part of that is his voice. His voice is so soft and high that he is forced to yell everything he says in order to be heard and he transfers this quality to his writing - writing everything in CAPS LOCK. In fact, every time he communicates in the book, vocal or written, it is in all caps. This odd puny quality matches his body structure; it is so light almost anyone could lift him, and sometimes did. And yet he works in a granite quarry which his family owns. The weak is strong.

This novel focuses on OWEN MEANY and his goal in life. As the novel progresses, you are very aware that OWEN has a special connection with God and divines from him, slowly, his fate. I would really like to say more about OWEN MEANY'S purpose, but that gives away a lot. Anyhow, A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY IS A VERY GOOD BOOK. IT WILL BRING MANY QUESTIONS AND IDEAS ABOUT LIFE AND FATE AND GOD INTO LIGHT AND WILL DEFINITELY MAKE YOU THINK. PLEASE READ IT, WHETHER OR NOT IT MAKES YOU CRY.