Bogus Trumper is a University of Iowa graduate student, married, broke, father of a young son and not very happy. THE WATER-METHOD MAN jumps back and forth between a later time when he is divorced, single, living in New York, broke and more or less happy with a new girlfriend. He is plagued through all of this with a demanding father, a troublesome mild birth defect in the form of a urinary disorder that requires him to consume vast quantities of water --- thus the title.

Bogus can be counted on to follow the path of least resistance. He succumbs to many temptations while still married, runs when he should fight --- literally and figuratively --- and in a fit of cowardice and indecision, decides on the easiest of the three treatments for his urinary disorder. THE WATER-METHOD MAN follows Bogus on his journey to grow up and take responsibility for his life.

John Irving's second novel, written in 1972, features a character with what will become a hallmark of Irving's books in subsequent novels --- a flawed personality, or physical or mental failing. It is these peccadilloes that define the lives of his characters --- their motivation to behave in often outrageous and frequently hilarious ways. Written in the first person, as are about half of Irving's novels, the use of flashbacks is perhaps not as skillfully developed as in later works, but nonetheless serves to spin a very readable tale of how Bogus sorts out the mishmash of his life. For Irving fans, THE WATER-METHOD MAN is an enjoyable read and a chance to observe the great novelist-in-making in a very credible effort.

   --- Reviewed by Roz Shea

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