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Critic's Corner
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A WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR Reviewed by: Patricia Ann Jones "Ah Vanitas Vanitatum! Which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? Or, having it, is satisfied? . . ." When I read those words, I felt I'd discovered the theme of John Irving's latest novel, "A Widow For One Year." Irving is not only an elegant writer, he is a word painter and a master storyteller. His imaginative fictional values and narrative techniques have invited comparison with Charles Dickens and other popular nineteenth-century novelists. The tales he chooses to present are, however, filled with quirky characters and convoluted plots as modern as tomorrow's headlines. Since 1978, when he published "The World According To Garp," he has written eight long novels. All of his novels were bestsellers, and he has become one of the finest writers in America. "A Widow For One Year," is as stunning as "Garp," and as poignant as "A Prayer for Owen Meany." Irving's newest novel is a 537-page tragedy about a family of writers who wrestle with guilt and grief. If that sounds too heavy, never fear. Irving gives his readers a rest with delightful comedic actions that turn your frowns into broad smiles. Ruth Cole, is the daughter, and only surviving child, of Ted and Marion Cole. Ruth is an often self-contradictory character. Her story is told in three parts, each focusing on a critical time in her life. You first meet her in the summer of 1958 as she turns four years old. The family is in chaos. Ted Cole is chronically attracted to younger women and his affairs are notorious. Marion, in her grief over the tragic loss of her beloved teen-aged sons, Timothy and Thomas, takes up with her husband's 16-year-old writing assistant, Eddie O'Hare. Eddie has the opposite problem of Mr. Cole. He has a penchant for older women. A desire that lasts a lifetime. His brief affair with Marion ends with the summer. She deserts her philandering husband and her precious child, to run away to Canada. Poor Eddie carries his torch for the beautiful Marion for some 30 odd years. The second window on Ruth's life opens in 1990, when her personal world is not nearly as successful as her literary career. She distrusts her judgement in men, for good reason. Eddie is still in her life as a friend, and Hannah Grant enters the picture. Hannah is a favorite character with her rough talk, emotional outbursts, and embarrassing social antics. During this period of time, Ruth meets and marries Alan Albright. He is an oasis in Ruth's arid landscape. Alan is wonderful, but is he the love of her life? Prepare to be disturbed by this often ribald novel as it reveals its tale about the passage of time and the relentlessness of grief. Readers will come to the realization that, fortune and misfortune are unequally distributed, if not at birth then in the course of circumstances beyond their control; and in the seemingly random pattern of colliding events the people they meet, when they meet them, and if or when these important people might chance to meet someone else. I didn't say Irving is an easy read, but will say, he is mesmerizing. ### |
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