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Title: Irving Fans Will Be Disappointed
Review: As an avid Irving fan, I found The Fourth Hand to be one of his weakest works. True fans will read it because they love this author - and it's not a bad read. It's very funny in places, but those who expect something from Irving along the lines of Garp, Owen Meany, Cider House, or Widow will be sorely disappointed. The familiar theme of love as redemption rings a little hollow when the reader has a hard time caring much about the main character.The entire second chapter is dedicated to the maniacal Dr. Zajac, leading the reader to believe his story will be a true alternate plotline. However, Dr. Zajac receives little more than token treatment thereafter - like the third subplot of a sitcom. Ultimately, Dr. Zajac had the potential to be a much more compelling and sympathetic character than Patrick Wallingford.This may end up being a better movie than a book (I've read that Irving is already working up the screenplay - jeez, give a guy an Oscar!)
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