Erin's Book #6: Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

If I had to pick a favorite author, it would probably be John Irving. I love diving deep into one of his novels and completely getting lost in his worlds.

It's been a while between posts for me because a) I've been busy with other things and reading other types of books, b) I started reading Committed, Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love follow up, got completely and utterly bored, and returned it to the library, and c) this book is ginormous. At 554 pages, Twisted River is by no means an easy read, but it is classic Irving.

His last novel, Until I Find You, was somewhat forgettable, but Twisted River is back to the Irving I love. Many classic Irving elements are present - writing, Exeter, incest, New Hampshire, etc. and the book also spans a vast amount of time - fifty-five years or so. This is a quality I adore about Irving books; being able to follow a character from childhood through old age feels like a tidy gift, with no wondering about what happens after the last page.

Twisted River follows a widowed cook and his young son living in a logger's camp in a tiny town in New Hampshire. After an unfortunate accident, the two are on the run, as they remain through the rest of the novel. They travel to Boston, Iowa, Connecticut, and Toronto, growing up and growing old, meeting people and then leaving them. Irving books are much more about people than they are about plot. And these are people I really enjoyed spending time with. Dominic, the cook, Danny, the son, and Ketchum, their long-distance logger friend, are very clearly written, endearing, unique characters.

This book is definitely an investment - the inciting incident doesn't even happen until 100 pages in. It is not an afternoon read. But I sincerely cared about the characters and really enjoyed traveling along their long journey with them. While this book doesn't measure up to my favorite, A Widow for One Year, it's definitely worth reading.