Book Review

“When a man’s stories are remembered, then he is immortal.”

At its heart, Big Fish is a story about a son trying to get to know his father, attempting to reconcile all the stories he has been told with the reality of who his father actually is. Written in the style of ‘magical realism’, it effectively blurs the lines between reality and imagination, creating a humorous, fantastical and entertaining story of discovery.

As Edward Bloom lies dying, his son – William Bloom – comes to visit him, digging into his history and trying to tell the difference between reality and all the tall tales his father tells (or he has heard about his father). The book is filled with these various fantastic tales: his father could outrun anyone, never missed a day of school, tamed giants, saved lives, was loved by animals, loved by people, loved by women and he knew more jokes than anyone else on the planet. But through the myths and legends about his father, William comes to understand him more authentically, both his great feats and his great failings.

Big Fish was Daniel Wallace’s first book and it received critical acclaim for its creativity, humour and sensitivity. It is written in an entertaining and accessible form, with connected stories of different lengths and tone. In the end there is some degree of resolution, but it is the various stories themselves that are the entertaining meat of the novel.

The novel was adapted in to a successful 2003 film, directed by Tim Burton, and starring Ewan McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter, Jessica Lange, Danny DeVito, Steve Buscemi and Billy Crudup, among others. The film was nominated for an Academy Award, seven BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award and two Saturn Awards, among others. It was also adapted into a musical, which premiered in Chicago in April 2013, versions of which have been nominated for and won various awards.   

Wallace’s debut novel is an entertaining read which is light-hearted and funny at times, whilst being poignant and outrageous at others.

The book is available to borrow from the school library.

Dr. Calvin Taylor