Stephanie Jane reviewed In One Person by John Irving
Superb
5 stars
I've just finished my second of two back-to-back five-star reads! Not only was Cat's Eye fantastic but so was In One Person and, coincidentally, both books had similarities in their stories while also being completely different. Both are first-person narratives of growing up despite influential people around. In One Person does tick a good selection of 'John Irving novel' boxes: New Hampshire, boarding school, sexuality, and wrestling. There's rather a lot of wrestling! However, although these common factors were included, I was completely hooked by the story of William Dean's life from very early in the book and had to force myself to set it aside periodically so as not to be bereft of that world too quickly. I loved the style and flow of the writing, the repetition of italics indicating the importance of visible gender, the claustrophobia of the closed school environment set against the expanse and possibilities …
I've just finished my second of two back-to-back five-star reads! Not only was Cat's Eye fantastic but so was In One Person and, coincidentally, both books had similarities in their stories while also being completely different. Both are first-person narratives of growing up despite influential people around. In One Person does tick a good selection of 'John Irving novel' boxes: New Hampshire, boarding school, sexuality, and wrestling. There's rather a lot of wrestling! However, although these common factors were included, I was completely hooked by the story of William Dean's life from very early in the book and had to force myself to set it aside periodically so as not to be bereft of that world too quickly. I loved the style and flow of the writing, the repetition of italics indicating the importance of visible gender, the claustrophobia of the closed school environment set against the expanse and possibilities of 'Europe', and the desperately sad series of epilogues that made up the last portion of the novel, each building up emotionally and persuasively. Irving discusses a number of other novels and plays, several of which I already knew but a key few that I had overlooked. I'm going to be adding those to my Goodreads list now before I forget, just so I can understand all of In One Person before it fades from my memory.
