Until I Find You
by John Irving
Random House, $210
Would-be authors are often told to 'write about what you know'. John Irving clings to that advice like a tattoo to skin, so it's no surprise that his latest novel includes a dysfunctional family, quirky characters, wrestling, lots of sex, Europe ... and tattoos.
The lack of bears - another Irving motif - in Until I Find You is one of the book's surprises. Reading his 11th novel can be difficult without the strong forearms and back of a wrestler like Irving, whose constant use of the sport in his books led to his induction in 1992 into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in the US.
The main character, Jack Burns, is a wrestler who grows up to become a successful movie actor. The story takes place on both sides of the Atlantic at various points in his life. His Scottish mother, Alice, a tattoo artist, gives birth to him in Canada. They then return to Europe to look for Jack's organ-playing father, William, who apparently ran off to escape his parental responsibilities. The pair scour major cities around the North Sea.