The Cider House Rules by John Irving
This is not a book that you could describe as enjoyable and I’ve enjoyed reading all the Irving books I’ve read (New Hampshire, Owen Meany, Garp and even the weird hand transplant one!). I'm not saying it's bad, it's not. It's just certainly not fun to read. It's about the people, of course, all of Irving's books are character driven. You think it's all heading to a particular point and then it gets to that point and brushes past it and gets on with the tale without making any kind of big deal about the huge moment you could feel coming, and thought was going to change the entire trajectory. The context of this one is unwanted pregnancies, orphans, and abortions. And then love and family and relationships as always. Wilbur Larch is a doctor. As a very young doctor, in the early 1900s, someone he refuses someone an abortion and then they die from a botched attempt at which point he realises that he needs to provide a service and save lives. He opens ...