John Irving's 'The Last Chairlift' is this sprawling, deeply emotional novel that feels like a love letter to family, identity, and the messy beauty of life. It follows Adam, a writer reflecting on his unconventional upbringing with his mother, a former ski instructor, and the cast of eccentric characters who shaped him. The story jumps between timelines, weaving in themes of sexuality, loss, and the weight of secrets—classic Irving stuff, really. There’s skiing, of course (it wouldn’t be Irving without a niche obsession), but it’s more about the chairlift as a metaphor for life’s ups and downs.
What hooked me was how raw and tender it feels. Adam’s relationships—with his mother, his lovers, even ghosts—are painted with this aching honesty. Irving doesn’t shy away from the absurd or the tragic, and that balance makes it unforgettable. It’s not just a book; it’s an experience, like watching a storm roll over a mountain—equal parts thrilling and melancholic.
Reading 'The Last Chairlift' feels like sitting down with an old friend who’s full of wild stories. It’s quintessential John Irving—big-hearted, weird, and impossible to summarize neatly. The plot orbits around Adam, a writer revisiting his childhood in a ski town, his complex relationship with his mother, and the ghosts (literal and figurative) that follow him into adulthood. Irving’s knack for blending humor with heartbreak shines here, especially in the way he writes about queerness and family.
What struck me was how tactile the writing is. You can almost feel the cold of the ski slopes or the weight of unspoken words between characters. It’s a book about how we carry our pasts, for better or worse, and how love sometimes looks nothing like you expect. If you’re into stories that leave you both satisfied and a little wistful, this one’s a gem.
If you’ve ever read John Irving before, you know his novels are like nesting dolls—layers upon layers of interconnected stories. 'The Last Chairlift' is no different. At its core, it’s about Adam Brewster, a guy who’s trying to make sense of his past while grappling with his present. His mom’s this fierce, enigmatic figure who taught him to ski but left him with more questions than answers. The book dives into their bond, but also into Adam’s own journey as a gay man in a world that isn’t always kind.
What’s cool is how Irving blends the mundane with the magical. There’s skiing, yes, but also ghosts, wrestling (another Irving staple), and this surreal sense that memory isn’t just something you recall—it’s something that haunts you. The prose is lush but never pretentious, and the characters feel like people you might’ve met in some weird, wonderful corner of your life. It’s a book that lingers, like the echo of a laugh in an empty room.
2025-11-18 13:25:08
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I was slowly dying from Silverthorn Wolfsbane, and there was only one cure—the Miracle Elixir. But my mate, Leo Ashford, bought it and gave it to my adoptive sister, Jane Smith. He did it because he thought I was faking my illness.
I gave up on the treatment and swallowed a potent painkiller instead. It would kill me in three days by shutting down my organs.
In those three days, I gave up everything. I handed over the fur manufacturing business I built from the ground up to Jane, and my parents praised me for caring about my sister.
I offered to sever our mate bond, and Leo praised me for finally being sensible.
When I told my son he could call Jane "mommy", he happily said that his new mommy was the best!
I transferred all my savings to Jane, and no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. They were just pleased with my "better behavior".
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**
This book is a part of the LOVE EVERLASTING series, which is one large series following multiple families and friends. Each book can be read as a standalone (unless otherwise noted), or they can be read in order of publication as one long series. Each book is interconnected, with many of the same characters showing up in multiple books.
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Reading 'The Last Chairlift' felt like reuniting with an old friend who’s grown wiser but still tells stories with that signature John Irving charm. Compared to his earlier works like 'The World According to Garp' or 'A Prayer for Owen Meany,' this one leans heavier into nostalgia and the passage of time—less absurdist humor, more reflective melancholy. The wrestling scenes (a classic Irving trope) are there, but they’re quieter, almost metaphorical. What struck me was how he handles aging protagonists; it’s less about the chaotic coming-of-age energy of 'Cider House Rules' and more about reckoning with legacy.
That said, the emotional punches still land hard. Irving’s knack for weaving quirky side characters into the narrative remains unmatched, though some fans might miss the wilder plot twists of his 80s novels. 'The Last Chairlift' is like a late-career album from a beloved band—fewer fireworks, but deeper resonance.
John Irving's 'The Last Chairlift' is this sprawling, messy, beautiful thing that feels like getting lost in a snowstorm—in the best way possible. It’s got that signature Irving blend of wrestling, quirky families, and New England gloom, but with this weirdly tender undercurrent about love and identity. The way he writes about the protagonist’s relationship with their stepfather, this former ski instructor, is just... achingly human. There’s a scene where they ride the titular chairlift together, and the dialogue is so sparse but heavy with unspoken things. It’s not a perfect book—some subplots meander—but that’s almost part of its charm? Like life, it doesn’t tie up neatly, but the moments that hit really land.
What stuck with me, though, is how it tackles queerness. It’s not some grand coming-out narrative; it’s just there, woven into the fabric of these characters’ lives. The casual way Irving handles it feels radical for a writer of his generation. Plus, the ski resort setting becomes this metaphor for precariousness—how we all cling to these rickety lifts, hoping they’ll carry us somewhere better. Made me want to call my own weird family afterward.