Three Complete Novels: Setting Free the Bears, The Water-Method Man, The 158-Pound Marriage

This collection of John Irving's first three novels is amazing. It's easy to see even from his outset how strong his talent is. These three novels lay out many of the themes Irving will carry forward into his later books. "The Water-Method Man," in particular, seems like a precursor for "The World According To Garp." Of the three, "The 158-Pound Marriage" is the most unlike the other two. In many ways, it is like the B-side to its predecessor, "The Water-Method Man."

John Irving is one of my favorite writers. He doesn't disappoint. These three stories are among his earliest.

This was a wonderful introduction to John Irving. My friend found out that I had never read him and she dropped a bunch of his books in my lap so I started with this one. It contains his first three novels and I like to read things in chronological order, if I can. "Setting Free the Bears" is one of the funniest books I have ever read. Irving seems, at least in these early works, to be obsessed with post-war Vienna. He took the quintessential American trope of the "road-trip" and plopped it down in Austria. The youth generation after WWII was restless and the two main characters, Siggy and Graff, drop out of their studies and ride on a precarious motorcycle through the country side. They're "living off the land" and causing trouble, especially when they meet up with a young girl who Graff is both attracted to and repulsed by. She is very naive and an easy target and I think Graff feels a little guilty about that, but he also wants to sleep with her. Crazy things happen and Graff runs off with the girl and he goes to carry out Siggy's plan (I won't spoil why Siggy isn't doing it himself) of setting free the zoo animals in Vienna, just like what happened during the war. The whole book the reader can feel a build up of tragedy, yet the comedy is high and the history poignant. A large portion of the book is taken up by Siggy's family history and the aftermath of the war and the affects it had on civilians. By far the funniest portion of the book are the "Zoo Watch" scenes where in between his family history Siggy is documenting the security officer at the zoo. Siggy is suspicious of the officer and doubts his affinity to the animals and judges him about what his role in the war must have been. Siggy is a hugely unreliable narrator so it is baffling for the reader to see Graff taking him and his plan so seriously. This is a book that is fun to read but still tugs at the heart strings as we witness the affects of war.

"The Water Method Man" is an entirely different book. "Bears" felt a little on the fantastic side, but most of the this book felt down to earth. Bogus Trumper lives up to his nickname. He is not exactly a con-artist, but he has no real goals in life and doesn't pay his bills and is a noncommittal husband, though you do feel like he loves his wife and son. He suffers from a general malaise and it seems like no one can shake him from it. I found this a more difficult read than "Bears" and it didn't keep my attention as well. But as the story progressed I started to feel more sorry for Bogus. He was a smart, talented man who came from a good family and had a loving wife but he was not happy. I don't think at first he was unhappy either. But pressure began to rise as his Thesis was not being completed, his biggest bogus act was the admittedly made up portions of his translation of an "Old Low-Norse" poem for his dissertation. Everyone wanted the same thing from Bogus, they wanted him essentially to grow up and be a real man, husband, father, son, provider, etc. He breaks free from these "entanglements" and starts living with a new girlfriend after he had disappeared from Biggie's life. She had to track him down in Vienna, the weirdest and most unnecessary part of the story. The new girlfriend ultimately ends up wanting the same thing, she wants to have a child. I really liked the end of this book and was glad I stuck with it. Irving is one of the most imaginative writers I have ever read and it served him well in this novel.

While a general writing style is the same in each book and they each have their own dark humor, "The 158 Pound Marriage" was by far the bleakest. It is about a couple who decides to interchange their spouses. It is never entirely clear why Utch and the narrator want to do it, but Severin and Edith pursue it. It is strange that anyone would see this as a good idea, and Irving doesn't address it this way, but it was the 1960s and monogamy was becoming "old-fashioned." But as the book wears on the relationships between the spouses, and the lovers becomes entangled and frayed. The narrator is highly suspicious of Severin the whole time and is strangely protective of Utch, his wife, because he feels that Utch is falling in love with Severin and that Severin is only participating as a way to hurt his wife Edith. We only glimpse Severin from the narrator's eyes so we don't know if he was as morose and self-centered as the narrator tells us. And in the end, it is not Edith and Severin falling apart, but the "stronger" of the two marriages.

Irving likes to have a book that is wide in geography, all three books have European scenes, some all over Europe like in "Marriage." Sometimes the hilarity and imagery seems like it is overshadowing the plot but Irving always ties it up neatly in the end, whether it is satisfying or not would depend on the individual reader. Irving respects his readers and lets them draw their own conclusions, but he doesn't leave any loose ends either.

I read all three of these in one fell swoop. Each of them are books that Irving wrote before he really hit is stride. Setting Free the Bears is post hippie sort of on-the-road shenanigans in Vienna. It's really a minor book, not really worth your time. The Water-method Man is a bit more interesting, the story part is pared down, but there's still some hiccups in his writing that don't quite pare. . .marriage is an Updike like look at partner swapping. A very strange book for someone who would eventually write Garp. This book IS fascinating to see his growth as a writer. (I'm sorry but . . .bears is nothing short of a mess.)

My dad gave to me in 1984. I liked all 3 short novels.

I got through Setting Free the Bears and started The Water-Method man.

Three different novels in one volume, and even thought the subjects of the books are completely different, they have certain elements in common: Vienna, zoos, World War II, and people who end up hating their significant other in some way. "Setting Free the Bears" was my favorite, because I really liked the plot: two Viennese college students take a motorcycle trip ("Motorcycle Diaries," anyone?) and end up planning to liberate the animals in the Vienna Zoo. The characters were also really enjoyable, especially Siggy, the radish-loving, saltshaker-stealing zoo liberator. In case you couldn't tell from that sentence, his sanity is questionable, but he's still fun. (Best part of the book: Siggy is in the bath and, after singing some improptu songs, exclaims, "My ass is remarkable!")
The Water-Method Man was good as well, but it switched back and forth between flashbacks and the present, which got confusing at times. The 158-Pound Marriage was my least favorite, mostly because it was so weird. It was about swingers, for god's sake.
But I enjoyed the first two books a lot, and the third one fit with them very well, even if I didn't love it.

This book through me off my reading rhythm for 3 years. I would start other ones but it was always lurking. taunting me for not finishing it. I think I found it one of those "free little libraries". Maybe it was cursed. I feel good to be finally done. None of the three stories were bad, and I think on their own I would have liked them, but they were too similar to one another for me to enjoy in succession like that. I hope the curse will now be lifted and I can go back to reading more regularly!