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Where You Belong

Patrick Dilloway

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May 22, 2009 Timothy rated it really liked it

WHERE YOU BELONG is a bildungsroman featuring Frost Devereaux, a scarred (literally) protagonist who is orphaned at a young age, slowly evolves personally and professionally, clarifies his sexual identity, and then finally seems to land in an emotionally comfortable zone, where he can build from his difficult past.

A review of WYB on Amazon.com compares this novel to THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP. While I have not read GARP (or any John Irving novel), I did look up Irving on Wikipedia, where the p WHERE YOU BELONG is a bildungsroman featuring Frost Devereaux, a scarred (literally) protagonist who is orphaned at a young age, slowly evolves personally and professionally, clarifies his sexual identity, and then finally seems to land in an emotionally comfortable zone, where he can build from his difficult past.

A review of WYB on Amazon.com compares this novel to THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP. While I have not read GARP (or any John Irving novel), I did look up Irving on Wikipedia, where the page states that there are recurring themes in his work. These include New England, deadly accidents, wrestling, absent parents, and writing. Further, his books feature adultery, gang rape, homosexuality, and transsexualism. Well, these are all elements (some very minor) in WYB, which some may read as homage to John Irving.

In several respects, WYB must have been an especially difficult novel to write. In part, this is due to the personality of Frost, who is a passive protagonist and comes alive primarily when he discusses or undertakes a writing project. Otherwise, Frost is an active watcher, much like Nick Carraway in THE GREAT GATSBY, who follows, and tries to comprehend, the lives of more dynamic personalities.

As in GATSBY, this passivity enables the author to explore his themes—in this case, friendship, love, and sexual identity—with insight and sensitivity. But, as in GATSBY, where the narrator Nick is less interesting than Jay Gatsby, Frost is less interesting than the Maguire twins, who lead him forward in life. Anyway, my point is this: Anyone who has tried to write with a passive narrator or protagonist knows how hard this is to do well. IMHO, a crazy narrator is much easier.

Secondly, WYB must have been a challenge because it has wide scope, following Frost from his strange and loveless conception to his full adulthood, which comes to him in his thirties. In this respect, WYB is Dickensian in both ambition and execution, with Dilloway pulling all his themes and characters (including bullies from Frost’s childhood) into a neat and persuasive package in the novel’s final chapters. Undeniably, the Dill kept control of his sprawling material, which finally emphasizes Frost’s core of decency.

Recommended especially to fans of John Irving, who some consider the American Dickens.
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Nov 12, 2009 Timothy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Jun 08, 2009 Quinlin Taylor rated it it was amazing

Jun 09, 2009 Hannah Davis marked it as to-read

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