Comment

Aug 21, 2015wyenotgo rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
First off, before taking up this book, any reader unfamiliar with it must first determine if he or she has particularly strong views about abortion -- as many do. If so, that may present a problem. That is not to say that Irving's book is in any way a polemic; indeed, the moral aspects of the topic are treated in a pretty even-handed way and the grim reality of the procedure itself, as well as the circumstances leading up to it are certainly not sugar coated. The argument is set within the context of a greater question: How do we as a society address the inescapable and tragic fact that so many babies are unwanted, uncared-for, neglected, condemned from birth to lives of hardship and abuse, either by their own unwilling, unprepared biological parents or by a society and a disfunctional support system that appears to care much more for the welfare of the unborn than for that of the born. Beyond that issue, this is a well rounded story, by which I mean that all the pieces, all the separate life journeys of the several main characters are made to intersect at various stages in satisfying ways. They are not "ships that pass in the night"; rather, they impact upon each other for good or ill, often modifying one another's vector in some way. It is first and foremost the story of an orphan, Homer Wells. That's important, because the multitude of issues that constitute the reality of BEING an orphan -- issues that are unlikely to be understood by anyone who is NOT an orphan -- have a great deal to do with Homer's character and the choices he makes in life. Secondly, Homer's story is in essence a morality play: His mentor, Dr. Larch has instilled in Homer the necessity of being "of use" -- in other words being an agent for good. The big challenge of course is, how does one determine what is for the good and what is not. Finally, and best of all, what mkes this a great book is that it's a story about love, in all its many forms. Love of course often leads to heartbreak and many other problems -- not least of them sometimes being orphans, or fetuses that don't become orphans. But it is love that drives Dr. Larch to perform "the Lord's work", love that binds Homer, Wally and Candy together inescapably in their odd relationship, love that impels Melony on her long search to find Homer, brings her back to Lorna who loves her and in the end brings her back to St. Cloud's.