John Irving Books in Order

Two university students in Vienna embark on a motorcycle trip through the Austrian countryside. Their adventure culminates in a chaotic, ill-fated plan to liberate the animals from the Vienna Zoo.

Fred "Bogus" Trumper is a PhD student and sound recordist struggling with a painful urinary tract condition. Between his complicated love life and a non-linear journey through Iowa, New York, and Vienna, he tries to get his life in order.

Two couples in a New England university town decide to swap partners in a sexual experiment. As the affair progresses, the boundaries between sport, wrestling, and marriage blur, revealing deep emotional fault lines.

T.S. Garp is the son of Jenny Fields, a feminist icon who wanted a child but not a husband. This sprawling tragicomedy follows Garp’s life as a writer, wrestler, and father in a world marked by sexual violence and absurdity.

The eccentric Berry family runs hotels in New England and Vienna, encountering bears, terrorists, and tragedy along the way. Through every disaster, the family clings to their motto: "Keep passing the open windows."

Homer Wells grows up in an orphanage run by Dr. Larch, an abortionist and ether addict. Homer eventually leaves to find his own path in an apple orchard, forcing him to confront the moral rules he was raised with.

Owen Meany is a tiny boy with a wrecked voice who believes he is God’s instrument. Narrated by his best friend, this story spans decades to reveal how a childhood baseball accident and the Vietnam War shape a miraculous destiny.

A collection of short memoirs, fiction, and essays. The title piece recalls the author's youth and a garbage collector, while other entries pay homage to Charles Dickens and Günter Grass.

Dr. Farrokh Daruwalla, an orthopedic surgeon living in Toronto, returns to Bombay. There, he navigates a complex world of circus performers, dwarfs, and a serial killer, all while researching genetic markers.

A miniature autobiography that explores the twin obsessions of Irving's life: writing and wrestling. He reflects on the mentors and coaches who shaped his discipline in both the craft of fiction and the sport on the mat.

Ruth Cole, a successful novelist, grapples with a past defined by her parents' unhappy marriage and the death of her brothers. The story follows her through three distinct time periods as she learns how to love and write.

A memoir detailing Irving’s experiences adapting his own novels for the screen. He discusses the long journey to get *The Cider House Rules* made and the intricacies of translating literary fiction into film.

Television journalist Patrick Wallingford loses his hand to a lion on live TV. He receives a transplant from a donor whose widow demands visitation rights to the hand, leading to a strange and comic journey of redemption.

A picture book originally featured within *A Widow for One Year*. When a young boy hears a spooky noise in the night, his father helps him investigate, discovering that the scary sound has a very small source.

Actor Jack Burns grew up traveling with his tattoo-artist mother, searching for his missing father. As an adult, Jack revisits the memories of his childhood in Europe to uncover the lies that shaped his identity.

In 1954, a cook and his twelve-year-old son are forced to flee a New Hampshire logging settlement after a fatal accident. They spend the next five decades on the run, pursued by a relentless constable.

Billy Dean, a bisexual writer, looks back on his life and the transgender woman who mentored him in his youth. The novel explores sexual identity and the prejudices of the mid-20th century.

Juan Diego, once a "dump kid" in Mexico with a mind-reading sister, is now an aging writer traveling to the Philippines. His journey triggers vivid memories of his past, blending his current trip with the mysteries of his childhood.

Adam Brewster travels to Aspen to find answers about his conception near a famous hotel. Raised by a skier mother in a family of ghosts and secrets, he uncovers a lifetime of sexual politics and alternative family structures.

Esther Nacht, a Jewish orphan at St. Cloud's, is adopted by the Winslow family. This historical novel follows her life and her son's journey, weaving together themes of anti-Semitism, identity, and political history.