Book Review - In One Person

I wish John Irving had not written this book.  Save that, I wish, at least, I had not read it.  Ugh...

John Irving is one of the greatest novelist of the 20th century.  That's not a gushing overstatement.  Go read A Prayer for Own Meany and then try to deny Irving's place among the world's greatest writers.

But this book...good grief.

First, let me state this.  I was born a female.  I have always felt that worked out okay.  I also have been heterosexual for as long as I can remember.  That has worked out less well for me but I'm not planning to abandon the whole adventure.  I say that to stipulate that I can't imagine what life is really like for the characters in this book.  The problem is I don't think John Irving can imagine it either.

This book is about Billy Abbott.  A bi-sexual kid who come of age in the 1970's.  His grandfather is a closeted gay cross-dresser.  His father was a gay cross-dresser who abandons him to live in Spain with his lover.  Seriously...whatever.  Also, Billy is not transgender but he is really into men who dress as women and take hormones but are still men.  Is that specific enough for you?  He also has affairs with gay men and heterosexual women.  He's not all that particular.  And Billy LOVES everybody.  It's tiresome.

I'm not a prude but I honestly felt this book was obscene.  Not because it dealt with gay and transgender characters but because it dealt with all types of people as if sex is the only thing that ever happens to anyone.  It's ridiculous.

Look, I think sex is one of the best ideas God ever came up with.  But sometimes I think about other stuff.

Like doughnuts.