Review: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

I'm thirty. I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honour. This quote, spoken by The Great Gatsby narrator Nick Carraway to his former love interest Jordan Baker sums up F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel of self-delusion perfectly. It is a hot summer in the midst of the roaring twenties when Nick Carraway takes up a residence in a small town just outside of New York. He soon becomes intrigued by his new neighbour, Jay Gatsby whose reputation for hosting the perfect party has stretched far and wide. No one knows exactly how Gatsby got his money, but people flock far and wide to his residence for a good time. A friendship between Gatsby and Nick develops, though it soon becomes increasingly clear that Gatsby wants a friendship with Nick so that he can access Nick's glamorous cousin Daisy, who also just happens to be married to the very wealthy brute Tom Buchanan. What follows is a story of utter self-delusion, selfishness and the perils of trying to recreate the past ...

This is not the first, nor the second time I've read The Great Gatsby. What makes it so fascinating to me is that I have felt very differently about the story--and it's flawed characters--each time that I have read it. The author's insights into human nature is second to none as he builds toward the eventual betrayal and the fall out that reveals the truth behind each of the characters. I enjoyed this one far more as an adult than I did as a high school student, mostly because I found the characters and situations easier to identify with. 

The Great Gatsby turns 100 this year. I have no doubt that it will continue to delight readers for many more years to come.

Recommended. 

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