Avenue of Mysteries

How disappointing.

John Irving is a master of improbable characters facing improbable circumstances. I have read - and loved - many of his books that fit this mold. (A Prayer for Owen Meany is the best example of this style - and still the funniest book I have ever read - but A Son of the Circus and The World According to Garp also fit this general mold.)

In Avenue of Mysteries, the characters and circumstances both crossed the line from improbable to impossible, but worst of all, the entire book felt forced. Also, I don't think I laughed out loud a single time. There's no rule that says Irving must make me laugh, but I have come to expect it and certainly appreciate it.

The premise of Avenue of Mysteries is that Juan Diego, a Mexican-American author who loathes to be identified as such, travels to the Philippines to fulfill a promise he made decades before to a man whose name he does not know. This trip allows (causes? forces?) Juan Diego to reflect back on his childhood in Mexico: his beginnings living in a dump with his equally improbable sister, who has a gift for readings minds and knowing the future. In the course of his travels, Juan Diego meets two women, Miriam and Dorothy, whose acquaintance dramatically alters the nature of his travels.

All of which is to say that I believe Avenue of Mysteries is Irving's most nonsensical, dare-I-say-absurd, novel to date. Had I not actually been in the Philippines, feeling Juan Diego's very real pain over the traffic in Manila and the state of the city (yes, bomb sniffing dogs are everywhere), I probably wouldn't have finished it. It's also completely believable that visiting Manila would remind Juan Diego entirely too much of Mexico - Irving's sentence to that effect early in the book was probably the most realistic bit!

I don't normally go seeking other reviews to include here, but I was so disappointed in this novel that I had to see if it was me or if it was Irving. Judging by the USA Today review, it was me. From their review: "Irving weaves together two vibrant storylines into a charmingly inventive novel."

USA Today also gave it four stars, where as I am included to think that one is sufficient.