Avenue of Mysteries

January 25, 2016
Duran manages this multifaceted, character-rich tome with aplomb. He has quirky tones that catch Irving’s humor, humanism, and intellectual and political acumen, as well as his salacious eccentricities. The brilliant, self-educated 14-year-old Juan Diego and his mind-reading 13-year-old sister, Lupe, scavenge and live in the garbage heaps outside the Mexican city of Oaxaca. Around them circle rigid priests and warm-hearted clergy, the “dump boss” who may be their father, a bevy of prostitutes including their mother, a doctor, an American priest who falls for a lovable transvestite, and an assortment of dogs, circus performers, and sundry animals. Around Juan Diego Gurrero, the world-famous novelist traveling the world, are his former student, a sex-crazed mother and daughter who may not exist, and an assortment of ghosts. Duran leads the listener through the plot twists and mysteries surrounding the Virgin Mary and her counterpart, the dark-skinned Virgin of Guadalupe, and, in and out of the realities, dreams and memories of the young and old Juan Diego. This is vintage Irving, and Duran handles it well. A Simon & Schuster hardcover.

September 7, 2015
Irving’s (In One Person) latest depicts Juan Diego, an aging novelist on a pilgrimage to the Philippines and set on fulfilling a promise he made in his childhood to a dying friend. Juan Diego was a “dump kid,” living with his sister, Lupe, in a shack in Mexico among the families who sort refuse for anything of value. But Juan Diego was exceptional, a self-taught reader who seemed fated for more. Through vivid dreams that Juan Diego has as a result of becoming confused about his medication while on a meandering journey to Manila, Irving relates his escape from his humble childhood. Irving fans will recognize similarities with past work: a circus, ambiguous parentage, a child with supernatural powers, various Christian churches, and a transvestite all play major roles. But while these elements may appear recycled, the protagonist’s journey does feels new. Diehard Irving fans will likely enjoy this latest, but those without such loyalties might be better served reading (or rereading) A Prayer for Owen Meany.

What kind of environment shapes the creation of an artist? John Irving's new novel is deftly aided in this exploration by talented narrator Armando Duran. Juan Diego was a "dump kid" in Oaxaca, Mexico, with a crippled foot and a sister with mystical powers. Duran affects a friendly, curious tone as the episodic events of Juan's life enlighten and entertain Irving's fans as well as new readers who may be intrigued by the settings, characters, and leisurely pace of the story. This is a long, immersive read that harkens to the best of Dickens. Duran is most potent as the now-aging novelist finds his answers to the question of how an artist develops. R.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine