Iedereen die John Irvings The World according to Garp heeft gelezen of gezien kan beamen dat de combinatie van een Volvo (Amazone) en een ontbrekende versnellingspookknop tot zeer vervelende resultaten kan leiden ...
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Most exciting passage In the story there isn't just one especially exciting passage, that points out. But if I had to chose one of them I think I'll chose the one in which Garp speeds up the driveway, the engine stalled and the headlights out, and runs into to Michael Milton's Buick: (page 350) 'Garp hit the bottom of his driveway at about forty miles per hour he came of the downhill road in third gear and accelerated just as he exited; he glimpsed how the driveway was glazed with frozen slush, and worried momentarily that the Volvo might slip on the short uphill curve. He held the car in gear until he felt what grip he had of the road; it was good enough, and he popped the sharp stick shift into neutral - a second before he killed the engine and flicked out the headlights. The coasted up, into the black rain. It was like that moment when you feel an airplane lift off the runway; the children both cried out in excitement. Garp could feel the children at his elbow, crowding each other for the one favoured position in the gap between the bucket seats. 'How can you see now?' Duncan asked. 'He doesn't have to see,' Walt said. There wad a high thrill in Walt's voice, which suggested to Garp that Walt wished to reassure himself. 'I know this by heart,' Garp assured them. 'It's like being underwater!' cried Duncan; he held his breath. 'It's like a dream!' said Walt; he reached for his brother's hand.' This is the end of chapter 13 (Walt catches cold) and in the begin of chapter 14 (The World According to Marcus Aurelius) Irving tells us how the Garp family will recover after the accident, which is described two paragraphs further.In this accident Walt gets killed, which is described in the end of the chapter. Walt loses one eye. Garp has a broken jaw and twelve stitches in his tongue, so had to write messages like the Ellen Jamesians, which he hated. Helen needed two stitches in her tongue; broke to teeth and suffered neck aches for the rest of her live. Michael Milton lost three-quarter is of his penis. 'It's like a dream!' were the last words Walt said. But it turned out to be a nightmare.
Garp verzuimde de knop van de pook te herstellen: bij het ongeluk schiet zijn zoon Duncan tussen de kuipstoelen door en knalt met zijn hoofd tegen de onbedekte pook: verlies van een oog. Zoon Walt overleeft de crash niet ... Helen is de vrouw van Garp die op het moment van de botsing zekere erotische handelingen uitvoert bij een van haar studenten, Michael Milton. Zij zitten dan in diens Buick.
