Set in 1920s New York at the height of the crazy Jazz Age, 'The Great Gatsby' is a fable about obsession - obsession with money, status and decadent living. Inspired by aspects of Fitzgerald's own life, the book is narrated by Nick Carraway, who moves to West Egg, Long Island, so he can work in the city. At first he's intrigued by his enigmatic neighbour, the eponymous Jay Gatsby, but as the truth and lies of Gatsby's life begin to unravel and Carraway finds himself caught up in terrible events beyond his control, he rapidly realises things are not what they appeared. Far from being a staid, sober, man-in-charge, Gatsby is in the thrall of of the flighty, upper class Daisy Buchanan, cousin to Carraway, inhabitant of the fashionable East Egg and wife to the brutish Tom.
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| 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Penguin Popular Classics, 1994) |
Much like its title character, this book is deceptive. It's less than 200 pages long and has quite a ostensibly simple plot, but the more I've thought about it, the more I've realised how clever it is. 'The Great Gatsby' is often described as a classic of American literature, but don't let that put you off. Far from deifying the 'American way', it actually breaks it down to a personal level and shows the harm the influence of a feckless, irresponsible upper class can do. In an age of debt-inducing consumerism and all encompassing celebrity culture, this book's message still resonates today.
Overall, I would recommend this book. It works on several levels - as a story, as a mystery, as a comment on society - and I think many readers would get a lot out of the experience. For me, it's the continuation of what I hope will be a beautiful friendship and I hope to spend a lot more time on the couch following Fitzgerald into the consciousness of his characters in the future.
