A Son of the Circus by John Irving is a complex and captivating story that follows Dr. Farrokh Daruwalla, a man with connections to multiple murders and a penchant for detective stories. The narrative weaves through various settings, including Europe, Canada, and India, exploring themes of identity, immigration, and belonging. The book features a wide array of characters, from dwarfs and transvestites to actors and film stars, all intricately linked through a murder mystery that proves to be more than meets the eye.
The writing style of A Son of the Circus is described as engaging and immersive, with intricate world-building and clever tangents that add depth to the plot. Readers praise the well-developed characters, the twisting storyline that keeps them engaged, and the way John Irving seamlessly combines elements of mystery, suspense, and cultural exploration in a way that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book deals with themes of violence, sexual identity, and social issues, warranting a medium content warning.
From The Publisher:
A Hindi film star, an American missionary, a pair of twins separated at birth, a diminutive chauffeur, and a serial killer collide in a riotous novel by the author of The World According to Garp
"His most entertaining novel since Garp."-The New York Times Book Review
"A Son of the Circus is comic genius . . . get ready for [John] Irving's most raucous novel to date."-The Boston Globe
"Dr. Farrokh Daruwalla, reared in Bombay by maverick foes of tradition, educated in Vienna, married to an Austrian and long a resident of Toronto, is a 59-year-old without a country, culture, or religion to call his own. . . . The novel may not be 'about' India, but Irving's imagined India, which Daruwalla visits periodically, is a remarkable achievement-a pandemonium of servants and clubmen, dwarf clowns and transvestite whores, missionaries and movie stars. This is a land of energetic colliding egos, of modern media clashing with ancient cultures, of broken sexual boundaries."-New York Newsday
"His most daring and most vibrant novel . . . The story of circus-as-India is told with gusto and delightful irreverence."-Bharati Mukherjee, The Washington Post Book World
"Ringmaster Irving introduces act after act, until three (or more) rings are awhirl at a lunatic pace. . . . [He] spills characters from his imagination as agilely as improbable numbers of clowns pile out of a tiny car. . . . His Bombay and his Indian characters are vibrant and convincing."-The Wall Street Journal
"Irresistible . . . powerful . . . Irving's gift for dialogue shines."-Chicago Tribune
Ratings (9)
Loved It (3) | |
Liked It (2) | |
It Was OK (4) |
Reader Stats (12):
Read It (10) | |
Want To Read (1) | |
Not Interested (1) |
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About the Author:
JOHN IRVING, born in Exeter, New Hampshire, published his first novel, Setting Free the Bears, when he was twenty-six. His most popular novel, worldwide, is A Prayer for Owen Meany, published in 1989. In 2000, Mr. Irving won the Oscar…
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