The Hotel New Hampshire by John
Irving
John, the middle son of the Berry
family, narrates the story of his family and the three hotels (all called the
Hotel New Hampshire) they own through the years. The book starts with the romance of John’s
parents in the early forties and the book ends in the late seventies. Through the story the five Berry children
face the joys and pains of life.
The eccentric family and the
lighthearted style of the storytelling made me think the book would be very
different than it was. This is my first
Irving book, and after reading some reviews, if I was a fan I would have been
better prepared. This book is
tragic. The gang rape of one of the
Berry’s, and her life dealing with the emotional turmoil of the rape, is the
central storyline of the book. However
there are other bleak storylines: the unrest after World War II in Vienna (the
location of the Second New Hampshire Hotel), a woman so defeated by her ugly
appearance she hides away from the world as a beast, and a small woman who just
wants to grow in any way possible. Love
and violence go hand in hand in all their lives. Death is also around every turn of the page. The family unit of eight we grow comfortable
with is diminished by four by the end of the book.
While I enjoyed the writing style, the
lightness of the tone was the only reason I could finish this sorrow full
tale. One line will stay with me: You
have to keep passing the open windows.
However, I think this will be my first and last Irving novel.
