The Hotel New Hampshire

I have recently decided to broaden my reading horizon to include general fiction, rather than just fantasy. I pride myself in the ability to pick fantasies that have at least 12 parts to it, that way I have something to look forward to read after I've finished the first book. At book club, I was told to read the Hotel New Hampshire and so embarked my quest to read a stand alone fictional novel.

The book was tragic and beautiful. A peculiar American family with a pet bear, State-o-Maine, is introduced to you through the eyes of the second son, John. His father is a dreamer and sort of blinded to the harsh facts of reality. His mother loves unreservedly and his grandfather, Iowa Bob, enjoys weightlifting. His older brother Frank is serious but loves to dress up, his sister Franny is vivacious and head strong, his younger brother Egg may be slightly deaf, his little sister Lilly is small and his pet dog Sorrow farts a lot.

His father opens the first Hotel New Hampshire in their home town, and with that signals the start of their new life. The story unfolds beautifully and brings you closer to this peculiar family. John Irving manages to introduce the tragedy that besets the family almost whimsically, that I found myself backtracking to make sure that I just read what I thought he couldn't possibly have said. He weaves through symbolic imagery effortlessly and creates this tragic landscape with elegance. The story moves from America to Germany, Vienna, where things take an even more dramatic turn. Their father opens the second hotel New Hampshire and with it comes prostitutes and freedom fighters. The characters struggle to come to terms with grief and either deny it or call it something else. They grow, they learn and they cope. This book dealt with very real human emotions in an overtly tragic family drama, amazingly. I was drawn in and captivated.

I loved this book and it reaffirmed my quest to delve into the unknown world of fiction. I think that you should definitely read this book.

I give it 5 butter beers.