Avenue of Mysteries

By: John Irving

Narrated by: Armando Duran

“Thoroughly modern, accessibly brainy, hilariously eccentric, and beautifully human.” —The New York Times Book Review

John Irving returns to the themes that established him as one of our most admired and beloved authors in this absorbing novel of fate and memory.

In Avenue of Mysteries, Juan Diego—a fourteen-year-old boy, who was born and grew up in Mexico—has a thirteen-year-old sister. Her name is Lupe, and she thinks she sees what’s coming—specifically, her own future and her brother’s. Lupe is a mind reader; she doesn’t know what everyone is thinking, but she knows what most people are thinking. Regarding what has happened, as opposed to what will, Lupe is usually right about the past; without your telling her, she knows all the worst things that have happened to you.

Lupe doesn’t know the future as accurately. But consider what a terrible burden it is, if you believe you know the future—especially your own future, or, even worse, the future of someone you love. What might a thirteen-year-old girl be driven to do, if she thought she could change the future?

As an older man, Juan Diego will take a trip to the Philippines, but what travels with him are his dreams and memories; he is most alive in his childhood and early adolescence in Mexico. As we grow older—most of all, in what we remember and what we dream—we live in the past. Sometimes, we live more vividly in the past than in the present.

Avenue of Mysteries is the story of what happens to Juan Diego in the Philippines, where what happened to him in the past—in Mexico—collides with his future.

Critic reviews

“From the first page to the last, there is a goodness to this novel, a tenacious belief in love and the redemptive power of human connection, unfettered by institutions and conventions. This belief, combined with good old-fashioned storytelling, is surely why Irving is so often described as Dickensian. But John Irving is his own thing, and so is his new novel. Avenue of Mysteries is thoroughly modern, accessibly brainy, hilariously eccentric and beautifully human.”

"An empathically imagined, masterfully told, and utterly transporting tale of transcendent sacrifice and perseverance, unlikely love, and profound mysteries."

“A richly detailed, imaginative and beautiful novel, with a series of events that seem equally bizarre and resoundingly universal.... It is a complex and many-layered novel that covers a lot of intellectual, moral and emotional ground, but in the end, it is the simplest, saddest and most wonderful tale of the human condition. It is about what we all fear: finding people to love, and then losing them, too.”

“A dream-steeped, enchanted, and often amusing tale.... Irving keeps this imaginative story, his aging novelist, his odd cast of characters, and his readers, moving on a trajectory toward collision in this unfailingly masterful narrative.”

“In its early pages especially, Avenue of Mysteries is laugh-out-loud funny.... Yet as funny as the new novel often is, Irving’s reconsideration of earlier themes seems more somber here. The novel explores questions of belief and disillusionment, chance and choice, the mundane and the miraculous. Avenue of Mysteries is a provocative and perplexing novel.”

“Irving has always been a consummately convincing realist, in matters both great and small.... While writers of later generations seldom come close to achieving Irving’s levels of verisimilitude, his realism is transmogrified by his general whimsicality and by his attraction to baroque extrapolations of the absurd. This sort of ambition... is part of what makes Irving such a prodigious entertainer.... This novel is not autobiographical, but it does present an aging artist with a sacred wound, tremendous desire, and an endless appetite for wonder.”

“Juan Diego’s memories of adolescence around 1970 in Oaxaca compose some of the most charming scenes that Irving has ever written. He’s still an unparalleled choreographer of outrageous calamities that exist somewhere between coincidence and fate.... Those conflicting currents of spirituality flowing through Avenue of Mysteries add to Irving’s rich exploration of faith in several earlier novels.”

"A vivid writer about sex."

“Like all of Irving’s novels, Avenue of Mysteries is about awakening — to the past, to hidden emotions, and to the truth and weight of trauma and childhood. Only this time, the narrative is dreamier and more ruminative.”

For hours the book just drags.

As ever, Irving’s authorship and narrative style are impeccable. This is not a bad book, but it’s not nearly his best and for hours I wished the story would just hurry up and finish. At the end I felt more relieved than enlightened.

Wonderfully narrated

I haven't read the last few John Irving books but I'm glad I came back to him here. The story goes all over the world and is very touching and funny. The little sister is a very memorable character. The narrator's take on her is often hilarious, not so good if you walking down the street and spontaneously burst into laughter.

Stories within stories

Like many, perhaps all of Irving's novels there are stories within stories. The story of an older writer visiting a now successful spent the Philippines. The story of the same man growing up in Oaxaca as a dump child, then his story as a circus worker.
They work together well and the protagonist is likeable and interesting. I was a little disappointed that the mystery of hi sister remains apparently unresolved. Our perhaps it is one of those exercises left to the reader.

rich character development but a bit rambling

John Irving once again had uncanny ability to develop amazing quirky, endearing characters and wildly imaginative story lned,but I found this book a little rambling. could have been tighter, but enjoyable nonetheless

Typical Irving

A story about nothing yet with memorial characters nonetheless. Can't help getting caught up even though you may not be able to communicate the story line.

Excellent Irving and Narration

Irving is one of my favorite authors and this book was even better with narrator Duran! Narration can make it or break it, Armando you made it. Thank you!

Wow. Just . . . Wow.

A whole new direction. A "first" novel, from a master. I have to re-think the whole body of Irving's work, in light of these ways of thinking. The most seductive invitation of my intelligent life . . .

Exactly What I Needed From John Irving...

Where does Avenue of Mysteries rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Avenue of Mysteries was a strange and wonderful journey. It had the mysticism of Prayer for Owen Meany and the imagination of Son of a Circus. It reminded me of early John Iriving books as I never knew what the next chapter was going to bring. Lupe was, by far, my favorite John Irving character to date. If you are not an avid follower of John Irving's work, this one might leave you confused and from some other reviews I read, possibly offended. If you are a follower, you know that the confusion is part of the journey and what others deem offensive is just his blunt and honest way to describing things as they are. For Irving fans, Avenue of Mysteries is a must -- for those new to Irving, bring an open mind and rest assured that it will all come together in the end. I can't wait to listen again!

Not for Audible

I have read several novels by J Irving and considered him a favorite author over past 40 years. I'm not enjoying this book so much and I think it's because I'm listening to a narrator. There is so much dialogue and often 3 or more speakers but only one narrator. I would prefer to read this book and enjoy imagining each voice. Beyond the narration challenge the story crawls between memories, dreams, and protagonist's present. Slow action and monotonous narration.

Not his best work, but...

even a sub-par John Irving novel is better than what most other novelists produce. So giving a star rating is tough for me; I guess four stars is about right. His usual techniques shine through the strange story leaving his fingerprints all over the novel. He is brilliant at constantly moving his readers through time yet never losing them. True to form his protagonist is the most mundane of the characters, allowing all the other quirky, bizarre, or at least interesting characters in the story to come into clear view. Again, he is a master of such elements. For variety's sake, the words "New Hampshire" don't even appear anywhere in the book. He brings us into colorful and vibrant Mexico and the Philippines, a nice change. Irving's wry and not subtle frequent mentions of just how autobiographical a novelist's works are were spot on funny and maintain the air of mystery (although I'm willing to bet he himself is on beta- blockers and Viagra, because he talks about them incessantly.) He has fun with his "fictional or real life?" politics, too. Of course there's weird unsettling sex in this one like most of his other books. The narrator was great, although both the voice and the character of Lupe became grating. Dorothy and Miriam also got on my nerves fast. I would have liked more explanation by the end but I was still satisfied. I would recommend "In One Person" or "Twisted River" before this one, but Irving fans will still find lots of enjoyment here.