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Content snapshot
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Violence
Barely any
Some violence; a murder investigation forms part of the plot
Language
Some
Some profanity in the literary fiction register
Sexual Content
Very heavy
Explicit sexual content throughout; an adult man's relationship with a teenage girl is depicted without apology
Substance Use
Some
Significant alcohol use and some drug use among adult characters
Emotional Intensity
Some
Moderate psychological complexity: grief, abandonment, and the long shadow of childhood experience are central themes
What this book is about
John Irving's novel moves across forty years in the life of the Coles family, beginning in 1958 when novelist Ted Cole embarks on an affair with his teenage summer assistant while his wife Marion grieves their dead sons. The teenage assistant's experience shapes the novel's middle section, and we see how these events reverberate into a grown Ruth Cole's life as a novelist. Irving writes about sexuality with characteristic frankness, and this novel includes depictions of an adult man's relationship with a teenage girl alongside its broader examination of grief and adult complexity.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Explicit sexual content throughout
Sexual relationship between adult man and teenage girl depicted
Adult themes not appropriate for younger readers
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