As if I don't already have enough to feel guilty about, I
feel guilty about buying books second hand. If I'm honest, most of my books are
second hand for one simple reason - I
can't afford full price books. I don't live a vastly luxurious lifestyle and
spend little on myself but I just can't justify £6.99 on a paperback and god
knows how much on a hardback.
I don't doubt that books are worth that much but it always
feels overpriced to me. I do buy some books new but this is rare. Morally, I
feel a bit bad about this. A second hand book means that the author isn't
getting any money and that the publisher doesn't get any money to pay for
taking a chance on new writers. Most writers, I believe aren't wealthy and
don't rely on book sales for their main income. Unless you're a multiple bestseller
then writing probably isn't your only job.
Charity shops are one place I buy my books, which in a way
is great as a charity gets a bit of cash to help those in need but I can't help
but thinking I should be aiming for buying fewer books brand new to support the
industry. This would mean I'd be unable to be always reading unless I reread
old books, and I'm not much of a re-reader. I don't have a massive TBR pile but
can't imagine not having something new to read.
I don't think John Irving particularly needs my money and I
don't think it's going to come after me with a pitchfork for his royalty fee,
although he does look like if need be, he would be handy with a pitchfork. 'The
Fourth Hand' isn't the best Irving I've read, but it was a little bit of a departure
in style for him. Although it has a fairly epic scope like most of his novels,
it's more on the humorous side. It's not a comic novel by any means but
definitely some aspects are played for laughs rather than emotional depth, like
his other novels.
Patrick Wallingford, the main character, begins the novel by
having his hand bitten off by a lion. In fact this is what sold this novel to
me as something I wanted to read. He is offered a pioneering hand transplant. I
won't tell you what happens after that as things take a rather bizarre and
unexpected turn. It is a little far fetched, but as it involves human beings,
anything is possible.
It was very readable and I managed to read over 70 pages
whilst having a bath, it's descriptive and intelligently written but not
impenetrable. If you don't read literary fiction, this is a good place to
start. As with most Irving protagonists Wallingford is slightly discombobulated
by the world, particularly women. I found the female characters in this book a
little bit unbelievable - all simply interested in having a baby. There are
women like this, but maybe I was missing the point he was trying to make by
having all the characters want this.
I also think I missed a bit of depth in the book by not
understanding baseball. There's a lot of baseball in this book and probably a
fair few baseball related metaphors that I didn't quite catch. (Catch, hah, see
what I did there!)
This isn't a book I'd recommend if you're reading Irving for
the first time. A Widow for One Year is my favourite so far, but it's a fairly
short book for him. Some readers have found it disappointing as it is more on
the comical side, but I can't blame a prolific author for wanting a bit of
light relief from his more heavily themed works.
I won't blame if he comes after me with a pitchfork either.
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