2023-21. The Last Chairlift

John Irving. 2022.

In typical John Irving fashion, this very long tome could easily have been three novels since the story wrapped up at several points, then droned on for a while during which time he rebuilt the stage for the next plotline.  During these downtimes, I was bored and frustrated with the narration--wanting it to have just ended at the previous climax instead of starting a whole new story.  But of course, once, the new scene was set, that story was worth telling and so we would go around again.  It is an unusual writing style and I can't say I love it.  It is reminiscent of A Prayer for Owen Meaney, which I also love-hated for the same reasons I struggled with this one.  There is so much to love here--dynamic Queer characters (include an absolutely unique and wonderful trans woman finding her place in 1950's America), a ghost story, extreme family dysfunction, and characters mulling over their role in the universe.  As with Owen Meany, I find the narrative over masculinized, though, and by that I mean that the characters don't resonate with motherhood and no one is nurturing.  In a multi-generational family novel like this, I prefer the storytelling to be more emotive and immersive, like The Color Purple or The Vanishing Half.  And while I say that, there is something unique about Irving's way of contextualizing alternative family that is enthralling and remarkable.  I have recommended both Owen Meany and Chairlift to a number of people who have enjoyed it substantially more than I did, but I can't give it a general recommend for general audience.

​Not recommended.

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