Jack Burns - The protagonist, an aspiring actor and son of a church organist named William Burns. Jack's quest to find his absent father and understand his parents' relationship drives the plot. He was sexually abused as a child at an all-girls school where his father taught.

Alice Burns - Jack's mother, a tattoo artist in Toronto. She was rejected by William Burns before Jack was born, leaving her permanently damaged.

William Burns - Jack's father, a church organist addicted to being tattooed who abandoned Alice before Jack's birth. He looks exactly like Jack and people expect Jack to eventually resemble his father's personality.

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Sexual Abuse and Loss of Innocence
A central theme is the sexual abuse Jack suffers at the hands of older women from a very young age, robbing him of his childhood innocence. Irving draws from his own experiences of being molested as a child to depict how these traumatic events shape Jack's psyche and relationships.

Search for Identity and Father Figure
Jack's quest to find his estranged father William, a church organist addicted to being tattooed, drives the narrative. This search represents Jack's longing for a paternal connection and to understand his own identity, which is deeply impacted by his father's absence.

Dysfunctional Relationships and Manipulation
The novel portrays deeply flawed relationships, especially the manipulative dynamic between Jack and the prominent older women in his life like his mother Alice. Women are often depicted as predators damaging the passive Jack.

Acting and Performance as Coping Mechanism
Jack's career as an actor, even playing female roles from a young age, serves as a coping mechanism to deal with his trauma and search for his true self, constantly performing for an imagined audience of his absent father.

Themes of Deception and Sadness
Underlying the novel is a melancholic, somber tone depicting the deception in Jack's life, such as his mother's lies about his father's disappearance, reflecting Irving's examination of overwhelming sadness.

In essence, "Until I Find You" is a poignant exploration of sexual abuse's shattering impact on innocence and identity, conveyed through Jack's turbulent journey to uncover the truth about his father amidst dysfunctional relationships.

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The novel received a mixed reception from critics and readers.

Many reviewers noted the novel's length and dense narrative. Some appreciated the detailed storytelling and intricate plot, while others felt it was overly long and meandering.

Irving's distinctive writing style, characterized by rich descriptions and a blend of humor and tragedy, was evident in this novel.

Reviews from literary critics were mixed. Some praised Irving's ambition and storytelling prowess, while others criticized the novel for its structure and pacing. The inclusion of heavy and controversial topics, such as sexual abuse, drew varied reactions.

Some readers were put off by the novel's length and the darker aspects of the story.

In summary, "Until I Find You" is viewed as a complex and ambitious work that showcases John Irving's strengths in character development and thematic exploration but also faced criticism for its length and the inclusion of challenging, autobiographical content.