Over the weekend I finished Calamity and got started on A Prayer for Owen Meany. To get done in time for February 4th book group I'll need to clock in with an average of about 70 pages per day. To pique your curiosity, in the prologue John Irving writes, "I may one day write a better first sentence to a novel than that of A Prayer for Owen Meany, but I doubt it." Yup, that'll get you going.
I am a firm believer in carefully reading prologues, introductions, and most certainly any lines of songs, poetry or prose an author has taken the time to note on the page immediately preceding the start of a story. They can set the tone beautifully and lessen the jarring effect of going from reality to a new and unfamiliar place. And indeed, when I revisit them after reading the book, they often give sort of a lovely foreshadowing (or even outright clues) of what's to come.
It all comes down to details. And I do believe in the adage, "God is in the details." Life is certainly in the details. Love is in the details. Great Food is in the details. I am quite certain many, if not most, people miss most everything. Particularly when it comes to reading. (And I'm talking about everyday stuff here: signs, emails, instructions.) The fact is, The Details is usually small. And quiet. And subtle. Easily missed. Like Owen Meany?
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