A Hindi film star and an American missionary are twins separated at birth; a dwarf — a former circus clown — mistakes the missionary for the movie star. And stalking one of them is a serial killer...

New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.

When a stranger arrives suddenly in their home, Ted and his brother George are hit with a stunning revelation. This man is their father! Before Ted can recover from the shock, he learns that this is Pablo Fanque, the first black circus owner in Britain -- and Ted is to join him to learn the tricks of the trade. Pablo is determined for his son to follow in his footsteps, but can Ted adapt to his new life in the Victorian circus? And will he ever see his beloved mother and brother again?

One of America's most noted contemporary novelists, John Irving has created a body of fiction of extraordinary range, moving with ease from romance to fairytale to thriller. Although his fiction follows in the tradition of the great 19th-century world novelists, he is a quintessential American writer—his novels are laced with broad humor, farce, and absurd situations. He does not hesitate to tackle the troubling issues that have faced our nation in the past few decades, such as war, racism, sexism, abortion, violence, and AIDS. This study offers a clear, accessible reading of Irving's fiction. It analyzes in turn all of his novels from Setting Free the Bears (1968) to his newest novel A Widow for One Year (1998). It also provides the reader with a complete bibliography of Irving's fiction, as well as selected reviews and criticism. Following a biographical chapter on Irving's life, an overview of his fiction explores his work in light of his literary heritage and use of a variety of genres. Each of the following chapters examines an individual novel: Setting Free the Bears (1968), The Water-Method Man (1972), The 158-Pound Marriage (1973), The World According to Garp (1976), The Hotel New Hampshire (1981), The Cider House Rules (1985), A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989), A Son of the Circus (1994), and A Widow for One Year (1998). The discussion of each novel includes sections on plot and character development, thematic issues, and a new and fresh critical approach from which to read the novel. Campbell explores the great moral range in Irving's novels. She shows that all his novels deal with a character's quest to discover the self, a journey of raw energy that touches us because we recognize it as our own. This study will help readers to appreciate the experimental fiction that is Irving's trademark and his ability to capture the essence of American life in the last part of the twentieth century.