What initially appealed to me about this book, was actually the toad on the cover and the name Garp in the title.I thought it'd be interesting to read about how a toad named Garp would view the world (before any literature groupies stone me to death, let me admit although I find the name John Irving familiar, I do not know who he is. For those who are on the same line as me, you may recognise The Cider House Rules, John Irving's work which was made into a film starring Tobey Maguire and Michael Caine.).
When I started the book, what baffled me was that I saw no sign of any toad named Garp.
Garp came slightly later in the story, and he was no toad. He was an aspiring writer living under the shadows of his feminist mother, who had Garp without the nuisance of a husband.
The toad on the cover was a reference to what was called an Undertoad (a feeling of something bad about to happen) near the final chapters of the book.
Despite the absence of a real toad, I was surprised at how much I really liked this book.
It may all be about Garp's life, but it's an interesting life nonetheless.
You get to read his fondness for a certain prostitute in Vienna (whom he frequents), his close friendship with a transsexual, and what is considered to be his inspirations for the stories he wrote.
The highlight of the book is definitely the accident he met, which changed the life of him and his family. It's tragic yet funny in a way because someone's penis got bit off in the process, reminding me of a similar story that came up in the Singapore news, proving that these things do come true after all.
Somehow, I think it's lucky that my interest in what seem to look like a thought provoking toad persuaded me to get this book.
They should put more toads on book covers.
