'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Pages: 180
Goodreads, Amazon

I don't really remember exactly when I had bought F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' though I remember that I had bought it from a second-hand book store and most probably around the time when its latest movie adaptation (2013) was released. The intention, as always, of course, was to read the book and compare it with the movie. Like every reader, I consider myself an authority on certifying whether every movie adaptation lives up to the quality of its book. After three years of ripening in dust, I finally picked it as a quick read between books.

'The Great Gatsby' is set in USA during the 1920s - the era of tremendous excesses and a foreshadow to The Great Depression. It starts on a very promising note with the narrator, Nick, quickly introducing himself (someone who preserves his judgment according to his father's advice), the main characters and the main parts of the location of the plot. There seems to be an undertone of being an underachiever to the narrator's description with the constant comparison of himself with the rest of the characters.

The plot involves the narrator's mysterious neighbour, Mr. Gatsby, who keeps on hosting opulent parties seemingly for no real reason but really to gain attention of Daisy, the narrator's cousin and his friend, Tom Buchanan's wife. It turns out that, before her marriage, Daisy had promised the then poor Mr. Gatsby to wait for him after the war but ended up marrying the wealthy Mr. Buchanan instead. Thus, a throbbing romance (at least throbbing in the heart of Mr. Gatsby) is at the heart of the book. The plot speaks about how people have evolved into collecting material possessions while getting alienated from their true emotions. The descriptions of the frequent parties bring forth the opulence and the grandeur in the lifestyle of the characters while they themselves are hollow and struggling from within.

Though the author has not dedicated a lot towards character building, he succeeds in bringing forth the qualities of the main characters. My favourite character was the narrator who finds himself torn between his friends and their lives while aspiring to make a mark in his career. He is the only one who seems to undergo a transformation throughout the book's length - initially desiring to be like the rich and famous but finally learning that riches do not arrive without the company of misery.

The author's style of introducing sarcasm and dry humour in dialogue is very appealing. His writing is poetic and reminded me of 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'. Though the book is known for bringing out the American way of life, it seems to have a wider timeless appeal that concerns any person in a capitalist world. The book ends on a sad note that seems to suggest that though wealth can be achieved, the real dreams remain distant. Heavy heavy stuff.