In One Person

by John Irving

A compelling novel of desire, secrecy, and sexual identity, "In One Person" is a story of unfulfilled love - tormented, funny, and affecting - and an impassioned embrace of our sexual differences. Billy, the bisexual narrator and main character of "In One Person", tells the tragicomic story (lasting more than half a century) of his life as a "sexual suspect", a phrase first used by John Irving in 1978 - in his landmark novel of "terminal cases", "The World According to Garp". His most political novel since "The Cider House Rules" and "A Prayer for Owen Meany", John Irving's "In One Person" is a poignant tribute to Billy's friends and lovers - a theatrical cast of characters who defy category and convention. Not least, "In One Person" is an intimate and unforgettable portrait of the solitariness of a bisexual man who is dedicated to making himself "worthwhile".

• ISBN10: 1410450058
• ISBN13: 9781410450050
• Publish Date: 22 August 2012 (first published 8 May 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 30 August 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thorndike Press
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 781
• Language: English

Reviews

[brokentune]

DNF @ 36%

I have decided to move on from this one. There is just nothing in this story that keeps me interested, and that is a huge shame because the premise of the book - a coming of age story of a young guy who discovers he is not fitting in with the people around him because of his outlook on life and his sexuality - sounded somewhat intriguing.

I have no idea what to expect, but after just over a third in the book, I just cannot buy into the story or the characters. This is meant to be a tragic comedy, but so far the comedy has escaped me. It does not help that much of the book reminds me of Catcher in the Rye and its protagonist. I could not stand Holden Caulfield. There, I said it. So, having another story centre on a character that seems much like Holden will not work in the book's favour. Not for me, anyway.

What's more, none of the other characters seem to be fleshed out (except for old Henry) and so far the construct of personalities that are mostly made up of social stereotypes is just leaving me comparing the book to a number of other books which I would rather be reading.
I take this as a sure sign that it is time to move on.

Next!

[elvinagb]

A must read! John Irving has really written a great story. Many reviews I looked at were critical of the story, the characters (too many gay, cross dressing, odd people living in a small town of 7,000, but I felt they all had a part to play in what Billy was trying to tell in the story of his life. I had a much easier time with this book than I did with Irving's last (Last Night on Twisted River). My favourite line? "My dear boy, please don't put a label on me - don't make me a category before you get to know me!" For me that not only describes most of the characters but the whole book.