I am re-reading this book for the tenth or eleventh time over the last 15 years - the book is entitled "A Prayer for Owen Meany" and it was written by John Irving.
I don't think I care much for the author personally, but I do have to say that I love a lot of what he has written. Please don't misunderstand me when I say I do not care much for him personally - I am sure he is a nice enough - if not unusual and quirky enough man - its just that I have seen his public face during media interviews and he comes across as arrogant and I seem to have a bit of a problem with arrogant people - I don't mind confident people - in fact I find myself drawn to them - especially confident women - but that is a blog entry all on its own now isn't it?
Back to Irving though - I just didn't care for the arrogance the author seemed to exude during the interviews I had the opportunity to watch or read. I cannot find myself disliking him too much though as he has written three of the best books I have ever read - three of my top ten so to speak - each one representative of where I was in my life when I read them for the first time. The books are of course Owen Meany which I find myself turning to like an old friend - it is my comfort book - I pick it up and can open it anywhere an re-discover plot threads and characters that in their own strange way seem like family to me. Each time I read it I discover something different about it - like an old friend that never ceases to surprise you with the levels of complexity tht he or she has to offer. Even after many many years...
The other two books I refer to are the "Hotel New Hampshire" and "The World According to Garp".
If Owen Meany is like an old friend - full of surprises and satisfaction and its cast of strange and realistic characters are like extended members of my family - then HNH would be my sexy Aunt - you know the one - everyone seems to have one in their family - the one who goes on tour with some Rock band, trips through Europe, looks beautiful in anything she wears and seems a little sad sometimes - in spite of or likely despite her life choices. As exotic and adventurous as her life has been, she is always looking for something - No one know what though... We all wish we could be her, that is until we catch the glimmer of sadness in her eyes...
Now"Garp" would be my brother from another Mother... I love Garp and I envy him and I marvel at his misadventures and once in a while I pity him and sometimes I even hate him - but seldom for very long. In my mind he looks like a young Robin Williams and epitomizes everything I wanted to be when I became a man. I first read Garp when I was in my early teens and it was the first movie I ever saw based on a book I had read. To say it had a profound effect on my would be an understatement to say the least.
Garp will have to be a topic for another day though and so will Franny and Junior Jones and even the bear might one day become a topic of discussion open these crisp white pages - but today - well today I still want to cover Owen...
This time as I re-read the novel I am picturing something different in my head - Have you ever seen any Edward Gorey artwork? I see Owen now as this fearful looking little door mouse - big eyes and dark circles and very much in keeping with that sort of gothy, horrorlistic style Gorey has seemed to make popular in the alternative arts scene over the last few years - Kind of like Tim Burton meets Jacob Two Two - infused with a health dose of Ruby Gloom for good measure. Mind you - in my mind I only see Owen portrayed like this - In the book he is the only visibly odd one in the cast. The rest have their own idiosyncrasies but Owen wears his in his physical appearance. As an animated show it has great potential if done correctly - this freakishly small force of nature set among a cast of seeming ordinary New Hampshirites - murdering mothers with foul balls during little league practice - commandeering christmas - loping off his best friend's trigger finger to keep him from going overseas and please do not even get me started on the whole predetermination vs. free will thing...
Simply said - it would make a great cartoon...
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