A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving

 A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving


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I started reading this book soon after it was published in 1989 but lost interest somewhere in Chapter Two and never finished. It has been on my "to be finished" list ever since. 

I found the book to be an interesting combination of religious and political. It was religious because Owen Meany is a Christ figure who believes himself to be God's instrument and sets out to fulfill the fate he has prophesied for himself. It was political because the book's narration contains many antiwar, anti-Nixon, and anti-Reagan observations. 

I can see how it would have been an especially compelling story in the context of the political environment at the time it was written. Its political component is a bit dated now, but more than once I shouted from my position in 2026 to the book's narrator in the 1980s that they ain't seen nothin yet when it comes to presidential malfeasance. 

The religious aspect of the book shows up in the first sentence when the narrator says, "... I am a Christian because of Owen Meany." The author, John Irving said in an interview that he is not a believer in God, but when he set out to write this book his goal was to portray a story that, if it were true, would make him into a believer. I'll have to admit that if the story were true I'd be truly spooked. 

I thought is was a bit humorous in Irving's interview that he could tell which book reviewers hadn't read all the way through the book before writing their reviews because they would say that the story's narration is in the voice of a draft dodger now living in Canada. It's true that he's in Canada, but not because of the draft. I guess some reviewers said Owen Meany was killed in Vietnam, which is also incorrect.

It's a really great story and I'm glad that I finally finished the book. (listening via audio).

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