Dead Fish

Reading Challenge 2017: book with a subtitle.  Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, by Daniel Wallace, was a let down. Normally I would say the book is better than the movie. However, in this case, I cannot. The novel is touted as "a novel of mythic proportions" but it seemed more like a collection of "big fish" stories and jokes shared by the father on his death bed.  I waited for that clarity that comes when reaching the end of a novel and the feeling of sadness that comes after reading something wonderful.  Instead, I felt glad I was finished and glad it was so short.

I expected the same magical realism that the movie provided in the novel, yet it seemed to be just chapters full of stories a son was telling about his father. The movie seemed to bring all the stories together in the end when the novel simply allowed the father to turn into a big fish. Ewan McGregor brought the main character to life in ways the author did not seem to do.  

Edward Bloom had a wonderful life, which he was trying to impart to his son. This seemed to be lost in the method of telling stories. One could write similar stories and tales about family, in a grandiose way, and share wisdom learned through that.  I feel none wiser after finishing it.

In retrospect, I am glad I only paid a dollar for it at a library sale and will not read it again.