John Irving’s new novel returns to a familiar orphanage

John Irving’s books are on many readers’ list of favourites. He’s written novels like The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules, which you also might recognize from their beloved screen adaptations. John is known for writing generation-spanning novels about family, identity and contemporary issues. His latest book, Queen Esther, delivers on that promise. It follows a Vienna-born Jewish orphan named Esther Nacht, whose story is defined by her journey to live an unapologetically Jewish life … and fans of The Cider House Rules will recognize some familiar characters and settings. This week, John tells Mattea Roach about the dangers of idealizing small towns, revisiting old characters and how fatherhood changed his life.

Hear our interview with 2025 Giller Prize winner Souvankham Thammavongsa:

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