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)

One is a Big Number

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

7 out of 10 ranking; important topic for transitioning individuals

What was one of the most memorable moments of In One Person?

Discovering the true nature of Kitridge

Which character – as performed by John Benjamin Hickey – was your favorite?

The narrator - William Abbott

If you could take any character from In One Person out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Ms. Frost - very interesting history; most honest about who she is and standing for what she believes; especially coming from a small conservative town.

Any additional comments?

Riveting story - highly recommended

Unique coming of age story

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

Liked the reader very much. The story was engaging especially the wrestling .

Who was your favorite character and why?

Miss Frost

If you could take any character from In One Person out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The coach

ANOTHER MASTERPIECE FROM JOHN IRVING

What did you love best about In One Person?

the sympathy and compassion used in telling the story of a bisexual young man's coming of age.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Miss Frost - the town librarian. She is later unveiled as a transgender former wrestler.

Which character – as performed by John Benjamin Hickey – was your favorite?

Miss Frost. She was the most sympathetic.

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

Yes. But that was impossible.

A tale of gender bending historical significance

Any additional comments?

John Irving is very ambitious in In One Person: A Novel taking on gender roles and taking them on mainly though not exclusively through his gender bending protagonist, BIlly. The story is LOL at times until AIDS appears later in the book when reality is considerable more somber than playful youth. Billy is in love with the town librarian who appears to be a woman but appearances in this book are often not what they seem. Cutting across the sixty something lifetime of the prep school narrator Irving provides a tour of 20th century gender identification morality and the multiplicity of changes it goes through courtesy of his characters. Cross dressing is a given in Billy’s family with his grandfather eager to take on female roles in the town’s theater group. His birth father’s whereabouts and his legendary and eventually questionable qualities as a lady’s man are part of the finale that wraps up multiple gender shifting roles played by many characters in the book. Dad emerges near the end with a link to a story Billy remembered from a feverish visit of his youth involving a shipmate reading a novel perched atop a storm tossed commode. There is a bit more coming-of-age antics than I would like but Irving’s ability to tie these youthful discoveries to the child being the father of the man give it depth. Altogether a good read and well written as are all of Irving’s books.

Best Updike I’ve read in years

He writes the characters , all with unique sexual personas, as plainly and simply as people really are. So, you don’t read them as exotic or bizarre but as simply human. Especially enjoyed the descriptions of Shakespearean play practices, peopled by high school kids. I hope Irving lives and writes a long time , so readable.

TMI

Usually, Irving's timing is about a decade behind current events: Garp's women's equality, Owen Meany and the Viet Nam war, abortion and the Cider House Rules, but with In One Person he is the ram-rod pounding on the doors for the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) rights movement; he is bringing it all out of the dark corners, laying it on the table, and telling us "Don't look away!" What I've learned from reading Irving is that a decade of reflection, on even the most confrontational polarizing issues, gives us hindsight; it softens the edges. Perhaps Irving decided (at least concerning equality for LGBTQ) "what we need even more than hindsight or foresight is--insight" right now. My question is rather or not we come away from this novel with that insight.

Present in this novel are all of the Irving hallmarks you come to expect after you've read a few of his books: the writer, the older woman, a stay abroad, the wrestler, absent father, even a "bear" of sorts, and of course the sexuality, all embodied by larger than life Dickensonian characters that Irving does so wonderfully. But besides the fact that the men weren't men, the women weren't women, and the bears weren't bears, something was missing for me--the characters weren't believable, they weren't emotionally congruent, the town seemed quietly complicit then unaccepting, the women were empty or bitchy. AND then there is the sex...

I get that the challenge in reading this book is to look beyond our personal predilections, biasses, definitions, to grasp the message that is more important than our own comfort zones. Good at ya Mr. Irving for having the courage to write a thought provoking novel on this important issue...I'm one of your biggest fans and probably responsible for the sale of a couple hundred copies of A Prayer for Owen Meany....BUT...

I was so disappointed by the gratuitous and titallating way Irving treated the sex between the transgender, bisexual, gay people--as if it were just a crude physical act, promiscuous and raunchy, including an olfactory element (that added nothing to the political statement he was making); he discusses the bars, the bears, the bowels, the fists, the trolling, (and the "ballroom" vaginas) but none of the meaningful relationships, the love or committment--it ends up (npi) being nothing less than ugly pornography between vacuous licentious queens. Of course, the violence and hatred that we inflict upon those that don't share our personal predilections is uglier, and Irving almost redeems himself with a powerful and moving reflections of the AIDS epidemic and how the public turned it's back on the victims. (why I gave 3* instead of 2).

In One Person will probably be heralded by many as a beacon for change-a brave and thought provoking novel. It was my least favorite Irving novel; I almost didn't like it, and it is definitely not for anyone that is not comfortable with alternate sexuality presented in a very harsh manner. (I think even some of my LGBT friends will be disheartened by the portrayal.)So, did I come away with the insight intended?--I think so, but not with the eloquence usually offered by John Irving.

Almost a Wonderful Book

Oh I so love John Irving's work, I love his books that other people either have never heard of or didn't like. I so wanted to love this one too, but it fell short I thought. This book has it all.... an adorable cross dressing Grandpa(my favorite character), a coming of age good looking main character, a private boys school, a Norwegian who hunts deer on skis, lots of references to Shakespeare, details of many dying a slow painful death from aids, a fatal car accident, a crush on a step-father, an angry mother, an angry aunt, a transgender librarian who has sex with a child, gay bars, a trip to Europe, a missing absent father, a handsome sexy high school bully, gay sex, straight sex, transvestites, bisexuals, heterosexuals, a boy who slept with his mom, a funny story of meeting the love of a lifetime, narrow minded people, forward thinking people, oh and of course wrestlers and it is all set in my beautiful state Vermont. So what's not to like?
Well I'm really not sure and as I write this review. I am finding it hard to articulate what I saw as the problem. I can say that maybe it was too much, too much wanting to make the point. Also I really couldn't wait for the book to end, I was pretty bored though much of the story. I am so disappointed. I think the premise is terrific, I can see how this book could have been wonderful and rich. But it just fell short. Somehow Irving missed the mark this time, it was like he was trying too hard. And I have to mention that I was bothered when the adult had sex (the Bill Clinton kind ) with a child and the focus of outrage was the fact that the adult was transgender, not the child abuse; this went unnoticed.
So Mr. Irving I still love your work and I am so proud you live and work and write about our state, albeit fictional towns, so please give us another A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Fourth Hand, Cider House Rules....just be you... no need to try so hard, let it flow................

Courageous and rivetting

This is another book that makes me wish that we had a book club for discussion. It's courageous, readable, passionate and it's difficult to put down. And, as always with John Irving, it's easy to read, familiar, intimate even.
If I didn't give it a full 5-star rating, it's because I want the main character to be a straight arrow (pardon the unintended pun), an advocate for those who live non-heterosexual lives, someone who is unimpeachable. But Bill Abbott is a bit self-centered.... Here is a man for whom others have risked and lost a lot to fight for him and he makes no effort to see them again, to seek them out. Even at the bed side of a dying man, he will be the star.
That said, many in his circle of friends and relatives are wonderful. They are the bricks of this powerful story.

Compelling

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

Sublime storytelling, I was captivated within minutes. The narrator captured the tone of the novel superbly. I felt I was a part of the story, emotionally drawn to each and every character.

What did you like best about this story?

I discovered another author referenced in the story. I wanted to know what was next.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was at the end of the book, when William Abbott after a lifetime of discovery declared to the son of his childhood nemesis, "My dear boy do not label me until you get to know me."

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

John Irving was masterful in illustrating the severity of life choices without overdramatizing or making those choices contrite. Mr. Irving’s characters were smart, ignorant, ill at ease, loving, caring, and accepting. The complexity of human emotions and the discovery of our actual self is a journey I enjoyed exploring with his characters.
To quote Shakespeare,
“To this above all; To thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!”

Captivating

I started listening and couldn't stop. The book was excellent and the narrator was perfect. I was sorry when I came to the end of the story.