"The Hotel New Hampshire" by John Irving

John Irving is easily my favorite author right now. This is the second book I am reading by Irving and I have been immensely satisfied by both of them. "A Prayer for Owen Meany" was the first, and that became one of my favorite books of all time.

"The Hotel New Hampshire" follows the Berry family as they run several hotels. Their first hotel as a family is in New Hampshire. Eventually, they end up in Vienna to open the second Hotel New Hampshire.

A lot of insanity is revealed in this book, as told from the perspective of the second son and third oldest kid, John Berry. Some memorable and crazy story lines include incestuous feelings, a furry in a bear suit, a plane crash, and prostitutes living in one of the hotels.

Published in 1981, this novel holds up very well. It follows a typical pattern of Irving's book with a decade spanning story, something involving New Hampshire, and semi-autobiographical elements. I love his style. Irving manages to captivate the audience with stories of seemingly normal people who live abnormal lives.

With a wide array of characters and plots, "The Hotel New Hampshire" is an incredible book that tells an original story. I can't wait to read more of his books and watch the movie adaptation of this book starring Rob Lowe and Jodie Foster.

Rating: A