I read this book because I went to see John Irving when he was on his book tour, promoting this novel. I was so impressed with his discussion of his writing process. It made a lot of sense to me.

However, I should have known better, since I didn't enjoy other books of his much, and this was no exception. In fact, I enjoyed this one somewhat less. It seemed to go on and on, with very little point to it. The characters and situations weren't believable to me, or weren't made so. I don't mean that characters or situations have to be realistic--far from it--but the author needs to create that sense of verisimilitude, and I didn't feel that happened in this book.

The constant worry that one character had over a tragic event that he predicted, causing other characters to be on the run, changing their names, etc. failed to create a sense of suspense in me, because there simply wasn't enough evidence provided that these characters were actually in danger.

Spoiler Alert

Even when this character's worry turned out to be justified, I didn't quite believe it, nor did I much care. I think there was just too much of having a character of questionable sanity constantly tell the reader about the danger, instead of showing the reader that this danger actually existed.

I also felt this book was in need of some serious editing. The whole 9-11 sideline, for instance, seemed thrown into the story without having anything at all to do with it.

And what's with the bears all the time? I guess it wouldn't be a John Irving book without a bear (real or imagined) in it, but I don't get it.

It's a shame. I find the author charming and interesting as a person and a speaker. I know many people who do enjoy his books, so perhaps the fault lies within me. I'm not an Irving fan, although I've tried to be, and this novel only reinforces that.