Owen Meany is an unusual little boy. His voice, which is in permanent scream mode (and shown in all caps), and his small stature make him an oddity in the small town of Gravesend. During a Little League game when he is eleven, he hits a foul ball that strikes his best friend's mother in the temple, instantly killing her. Owen doesn't believe in accidents. He believes that he is the instrument of God. Throughout the rest of his life, he takes charge of the people and situations around him.
Told from the point of view of his best friend, A Prayer for Owen Meany is often hilarious. The novel goes back and forth between telling the story of Owen and the present day for Johnny, his best friend. The last third of the book loses the humor of the story and focuses on the reasons why Owen believes what he believes. I'm looking forward to my book club's discussion of the novel.
I really, really need to read this. This was one of the ONLY books my husband actually read in High School and he liked it. I saw the movie, but it didn't make much sense, and he said that the movie cut a lot of the point out that was discussed in the book. Good review!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely recommend it. We had one of our best discussions at book club about this one. Mary Jo checked out the movie, and she told us about it. Turns out, I had seen parts of the movie. Book is way different. Hope you get the chance to read it!
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