John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany.
This book is nothing short of extraordinary. Â I loved every minute of reading it. The world Irving paints is so visceral and moving and hilarious. Â Once you become a teenager, you should be required to read this once every five years until you have children, and then once every 10.
I didn’t read this until I was in my late 20’s (or early 30’s, I can’t recall). Â I was gifted Owen Meany, along with a few other books from my friend Holle Singer, somewhere around 2005. Â I think the books were holiday presents (she’s a fantastic gift-giver).
Holle is one of the most creative and talented people I’ve ever met, and assisting her was an invaluable step to my career as an editor and artist. Â The hours and hours spent watching her work, and deconstructing her timelines to see how she created what she edited, was maddeningly educational. Â Unfortunately, It’s been years since we’ve seen each other. Â Maybe soon…
So like I mentioned in the last entry, as I close in on 100 things I’m pulling out some tough things to let go of. Â This is absolutely one of them.
I found a piece of paper with a quote of Irving’s that I had written while reading the book. Â It was inserted between pages 74-75: Â “If you care about something, you have to protect it – if you’re lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.”
Selah.