by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925

This book was our local book club’s choice for January of this year I thought it was an odd choice as most of the books we read are current non-fiction books.

As I read the book I initially experienced confusion. Fitzgerald doesn’t provide much context when he introduces new characters. Consequently, the reader has to follow the additional narrative for clues and then piece them together. Also, the timeline is not sequential so passages that flashback add additional clues.

Once everything is pieced together, we are left with a disturbing picture of an individual who was desperately trying to define his identity while, at the same time, stripping away the remnants of his true self. This is obviously not a good scenario for one’s mental health and it ultimately comes to a tragic end.

At our book club meeting there was discussion as to how the book offered a vignette of the times, i.e., the 1920’s and the emphasis on showing off the status of one’s wealth. Some of us were convinced, however, that Fitzgerald’s depiction of Gatsby transcends the time when it was written about and has relevance to the human condition now as well as in the past.

This book should be read slowly to allow it’s nuances to sink in. It’s not meant to entertain as much as to convey meaning.