Until I Find You
Encyclopedia
Until I Find You is the eleventh published novel
by John Irving
. Up until ten months before publication, this novel was originally written in first person. But after realizing that so much of the material -- childhood sexual abuse; a long-lost father who eventually ends up in a mental institution -- was too close to his own experiences, Irving postponed publicatio of the novel while he rewrote it entirely in third person.
Interesting trivia about the cover: it is a close-up photo/illustration of a the side of a woman's breast, with a tattoo on it (as in the novel). The American publisher requested their version be a very close shot of the side of the breast, so the body part in question wouldn't be readily identifiable, and therefore would not offend readers or passersby in the bookstore. The Canadian dustjacket features a close-up that is more readily identifiable as the side of a woman's breast (and is the dust jacket Irving prefers).
The first half of the narration follows a young Canadian actor named Jack Burns through his youth as he travels with his mother in search of his father through the subculture of tattoo artists. Like the title character in The World According to Garp
and Irving himself, Jack finds a talent for wrestling and an extended family that aids and hinders him through his trials as a young man coming of age, including his sexual awakening and abuse as an adolescent.
The second half of the narrative sees Jack on the road to discovering the truth behind the misconceptions that his younger self had thought he understood.
. Additionally, Jack loses the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor to Michael Caine
, who also won for The Cider House Rules
that year. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0801237.html
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by John Irving
John Irving
John Winslow Irving is an American novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of The World According to Garp in 1978...
. Up until ten months before publication, this novel was originally written in first person. But after realizing that so much of the material -- childhood sexual abuse; a long-lost father who eventually ends up in a mental institution -- was too close to his own experiences, Irving postponed publicatio of the novel while he rewrote it entirely in third person.
Interesting trivia about the cover: it is a close-up photo/illustration of a the side of a woman's breast, with a tattoo on it (as in the novel). The American publisher requested their version be a very close shot of the side of the breast, so the body part in question wouldn't be readily identifiable, and therefore would not offend readers or passersby in the bookstore. The Canadian dustjacket features a close-up that is more readily identifiable as the side of a woman's breast (and is the dust jacket Irving prefers).
Premise
While the novel uses many of the themes and plot devices that have already seen treatment in other works by the author, it treads new ground in taking on the fallibility of memory, specifically the memories of children (in this case, the memories of Jack Burns). The story sprawls across Canada, a large part of Europe and the United States.The first half of the narration follows a young Canadian actor named Jack Burns through his youth as he travels with his mother in search of his father through the subculture of tattoo artists. Like the title character in The World According to Garp
The World According to Garp
The World According to Garp is John Irving's fourth novel. Published in 1978, the book was a bestseller for several years.A movie adaptation of the novel starring Robin Williams was released in 1982, with a screenplay written by Steve Tesich....
and Irving himself, Jack finds a talent for wrestling and an extended family that aids and hinders him through his trials as a young man coming of age, including his sexual awakening and abuse as an adolescent.
The second half of the narrative sees Jack on the road to discovering the truth behind the misconceptions that his younger self had thought he understood.
Allusions
In the book, Jack earns the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1999. In reality, this award went to John Irving himself in 1999 for his adaptation of his own book, The Cider House RulesThe Cider House Rules
The Cider House Rules is a 1985 novel by John Irving. It is Irving's sixth published novel, and has been adapted into a film of the same name and a stage play by Peter Parnell.-Plot:...
. Additionally, Jack loses the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor to Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
, who also won for The Cider House Rules
The Cider House Rules (film)
The Cider House Rules is a 1999 American drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, based on John Irving's novel of the same name. The film won two Academy Awards, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, along with four other nominations at the 72nd Academy Awards...
that year. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0801237.html