In One Person

A Novel

By: John Irving

Narrated by: John Benjamin Hickey

Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

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.”

©2012 Garp Enterprises, Ltd. (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"A profound truth is arrived at in these pages. It is Irving at his most daring, at his most ambitious. It is America and American writing, both at their very best.” (Abraham Verghese)

"His most daringly political, sexually transgressive, and moving novel in well over a decade." ( Vanity Fair)

“ In One Person is a rich and absorbing book, even beautiful.” ( Esquire)

An appreciation for humanity

Would you listen to In One Person again? Why?

As a general rule, I do not listen to books more than once because there is so much amazing literature and so little time! However, this will be one that I repeat, and I think I will enjoy it even more the second time.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Grandpa! If everyone had such open-minded family members, maybe our world would experience more peace and love!

If you could rename In One Person, what would you call it?

I think it is aptly titled, and I wouldn't change the name!

A good book done well

I enjoyed the book. I see reviews saying it is too long (needs editing) and repeats themes (he hasn't been original since Owen Meany.) They aren't grasping that this is a new story using familiar tools. Yes, there is wrestling. Bill is not a wrestler.
Irving is on a mission to make different stories using tools he wields as a master.
I enjoyed it. I know the characters. I was reminded of the AIDs epidemic and he painted personal tragedy. //Cheers

Listen in private. Not for homophobics.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Like most John Irving books I have read, the father of the main character is absent.

Any additional comments?

Every time my husband walked into the room while I was listening to this book, it was during an explicit homosexual scene. I endured a little bit of good-natured teasing. Maybe I should invest in earphones.

This book is an in-depth story about the coming of age and life of a bisexual man. It's interesting to hear about the point of view of a person whose experiences and feelings are so different from my own humble life. And yet, as a human being, he is just like the rest of us.

So Good!

What made the experience of listening to In One Person the most enjoyable?

This book is read exceptionally well. Expression, cadence, intonation and characters are underlined exactly right. The book spans our society's view of sexuality, in particular, bisexuality, transgender and homosexuality, from the 50s to modern day. The attitudes, biases and development of society are skillfully woven into the tale. Irving's frank address of issues that are often whispered in secret is a refreshing breath of air.

What other book might you compare In One Person to and why?

I might compare it to Cider House Rules. Irving does not shy from difficult topics.

Have you listened to any of John Benjamin Hickey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A story for education, tolerance and acceptance.

Any additional comments?

a wonderful read. 5 star

Fantastic Narration! Good but not great story..

I'm writing this review mainly to praise the narrator. John B. Hickey's performance was nothing short of brilliant. His voices and characterizations brought each of the characters to life in a way that was incredibly compelling to listen to. I still can here him saying "aaaah well...." Mr. Hickey was able to channel a clear personality and sound to each character and brought each one to life that sounded absolutely genuine to the listener. This is a huge achievement and Mr. Hickey is obviously a tremendous voice talent. As for the material I'm a big fan of John Irving's works, and this story is good. I suppose one could say that he was courageous in a way to attempt to write this book, but his usual literary tools stood out as such and overall lacked something intangible that makes his writing attain the greatness he's had so many times.

Not my favorite

struggled to finish. this book felt like john irving had quota to fill, checked box.

Didn't get it

I am huge fan of John Irving, but this one just didn't work for me. I felt like there was a lot of recycling from several of his past books (boys private school, growing up in New England, transsexuals, etc) and I just didn't get anything new out of this book. Maybe I missed something?

Horrible story, good book.

Where does In One Person rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

7 out of 10

What did you like best about this story?

John Irving could write about protoplasm and make it interesting.

Have you listened to any of John Benjamin Hickey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He sounded familiar, smooth delivery, I'll remember his name.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

By bringing to life the arrogent, in your face, selfish attitudes and life styles of the homosexuals, transexual, and perverse characters in this book and by detailing the resulting agonizing death and despair that this lifestyle has brought to society, Mr. Irving has only served to further alinate real life homosexuals to mainstream society.By serving up what most folks in our society find perverse and taboo and presenting it as normal does not enlighten, it repulses.

Any additional comments?

Any author that can write a story that angers and repulses, but at the same time captivate a reader(listener) is a great writer. I will stand in line to read Irving's next offering.

Everything you would expect from John Irving

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to any Irving fan

What other book might you compare In One Person to and why?

Hotel New Hampshire and The world according to Garp - mainly because of the recurring themes and characters

What does John Benjamin Hickey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

he is pleasant

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Very much so

Another fabulous John Irving novel!

When I first began the book I thought oh this is just like so many other Irving novels but then the plot really developed and took an interesting and very political turn. The characters were wonderful and it was very engaging. I really enjoyed the historical nature of the stroy especially the overview of the AIDs epidemic in the 1980s.