A Prayer for Owen Meany Summary

The narrative unfolds from the perspective of an adult named John Wheelwright, who is recollecting his past from his home in Toronto, Canada, in 1987. He frequently includes diary entries expressing his anger towards the Ronald Reagan administration. John's narrative centers around his childhood in Gravesend, New Hampshire, and his friend Owen Meany, a peculiar, miniature boy with glowing skin and a high-pitched voice. Owen has a profound affection for John's mother, who reciprocates his feelings. John is unaware of his father's identity, but knows he belongs to the affluent Wheelwright family, while Owen's parents run a struggling granite quarry. Owen assures John that divine intervention will reveal his father's identity, however, John's mother dies in an accident caused by Owen, leaving him heartbroken and splitting his time between his grandmother's mansion and his stepfather Dan Needham's apartment at Gravesend Academy.

John and Owen maintain their friendship and, six months after John's mother's death, John starts noticing Owen's uniqueness. Owen lands roles in the Christmas pageant and a local play, where he performs exceptionally, causing a bit of a stir. On the night of the final performance, he has a vision of his own tombstone with his death date. Gradually, Owen starts believing he is a divine tool and that his death will be heroic. He believes God wanted him to kill John's mother as he interrupted the Angel of Death. They practice a basketball move, "The Shot," repeatedly, seeking to perfect it as quickly as possible. As teenagers, they join Gravesend Academy, where Owen shines academically and journalistically. However, he is expelled for creating fake IDs for students to avoid the Vietnam draft. He eventually graduates from a public school and reunites with John at the University of New Hampshire.

Owen pays for his education through the ROTC program and anticipates a combat assignment in Vietnam, despite his friends' objections. However, due to his short stature, he is assigned administrative duties in Arizona. Owen seeks reassignment to Vietnam, while John pursues graduate school. Owen helps John avoid the Vietnam draft by amputating his finger. In 1968, Owen starts escorting the bodies of deceased soldiers home. During one such assignment, he and John are confronted by a teenager with a grenade. Owen sacrifices himself to save the Vietnamese war orphans by using "The Shot" to throw the grenade away, but dies from his injuries. John later learns that the reverend who doubted Owen's innocence is his father. The reverend confesses his guilt and prays for forgiveness during Owen's eulogy. He also learns from Mr. Meany that Owen was a miraculous birth, which he vehemently denies. The narrative concludes with John reminiscing about his past and the unresolved mystery of Owen's origin.