The Fourth Hand (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: John Irving
- First Published: 2001
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: The 1990’s
- Setting: New York; Boston; Green Bay, Wisconsin; India; and Japan
- Principal Characters: Patrick Wallingford, Dr. Nicholas M. Zajac, Irma, Dr. Clothia, Otto Clausen, Doris Clausen, Evelyn Arbuthnot, Sarah Williams, Mary Shanahan, Angie
- Genres: Long fiction, Domestic realism
- Subjects: New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Journalism or journalists, Sex or sexuality, Twentieth century, Midwest, Dreams, New England, Asia or Asians, Fortune-telling or fortune-tellers, India or East Indian people, Amputation, amputees, or prosthetics, Boston, Identity, Television or television broadcasting, 1990’s, Japan or Japanese people, Animals, Animals, dangerous, Lions, Mammals, Massachusetts, Wisconsin
- Locales: Boston, MA, New York, Japan, Wisconsin, India
Although John Irving’s The Fourth Hand resembles his earlier novels in its treatment of the themes of family, marriage, love, sex, loss, and redemption, it differs from them in its relative brevity (about half the length of Irving’s other books) and in its style. Both differences may be attributed to Irving’s having written the Oscar-winning screenplay of his novel The Cider House Rules (1985); The Fourth Hand is dedicated to the producer and director of the highly acclaimed film. He also signed on with Miramax to write the screenplay for The Fourth...
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