Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be born out of an unconventional act of love and grow up in a world full of absurdity and tragedy? If so, you might want to read The World According to Garp by John Irving, a novel that follows the life and adventures of T.S. Garp, a writer and a son of a feminist icon.

The novel begins with the story of Garp's mother, Jenny Fields, a nurse who decides to have a child without a husband by using the body of a brain-damaged soldier during World War II. She names her son after the soldier's rank, Technical Sergeant Garp, and raises him on her own terms. Jenny becomes a famous author and a leader of the feminist movement after publishing her autobiography, A Sexual Suspect, which inspires many women to seek liberation from patriarchy and oppression. One of these women is Roberta Muldoon, a former football player who undergoes a sex change operation and becomes Garp's loyal friend.

Garp grows up with a passion for writing and wrestling, and falls in love with Helen Holm, the daughter of his wrestling coach. He marries her and moves to Vienna, where he writes his first novel, The Pension Grillparzer, a whimsical story about a family that stays at a bizarre hotel. He also becomes a father of two sons, Walt and Duncan. Garp and his family return to America, where he struggles to find success as a writer and to cope with the fame and influence of his mother. He also faces various challenges and dangers from the chaotic and violent world around him, such as car accidents, assassinations, kidnappings, rapes, murders, and fanatical groups like the Ellen James Society, a cult of women who cut off their tongues in solidarity with a young girl who was mutilated by her rapist.

The novel is full of humor and satire, but also of sorrow and compassion. It explores themes such as feminism, sexuality, death, violence, family, creativity, and the role of the writer in society. It also includes excerpts from Garp's novels and stories, which reflect his imagination and his perspective on life. The novel is considered to be Irving's masterpiece and one of the best works of American literature in the 20th century. It was adapted into a film in 1982 starring Robin Williams as Garp.

If you are looking for a novel that will make you laugh and cry, that will challenge your views and inspire your dreams, that will show you the beauty and the horror of the world according to Garp, then you should definitely read this book. You will not regret it.