“One of the deepest pleasures of reading John Irving comes from discovering the turns in his story along with his characters, so I will give away no plot details, other than to say this: In ‘Queen Esther,’ John Irving literally takes readers where he’s never taken them before," Irving's editor, Simon and Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp, said in a statement.
Irving, 82, is also known for such acclaimed works as “The Hotel New Hampshire,” “The World According to Garp” and “A Prayer for Owen Meany.” He published “The Cider House Rules” in 1985 and won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for the 1999 movie adaptation.
According to Simon & Schuster, “Queen Esther” will span much of the 20th century as it follows the life of Esther Nacht, a Viennese Jew born in 1905, abandoned at age 4 and taken in as a teen by a New England family.
“The construction of this novel long predates the events of Oct. 7, and everything that’s happened in Israel since those terrorist attacks and the hostage-taking," Irving said in a statement.
Simon & Schuster announced Thursday that Irving's “Queen Esther” will be published Nov. 4.
