I was in high school when the movie Big Fish came out. It was the perfectly fantastical kind of story that a quirky teen like me would embrace*. To have known the story as a kid, I think, has helped me appreciate reading the book, for the first time, as an adult.
*And, Ewan McGregor was kind of a big deal then.
If you don’t know the story of Big Fish by Daniel Wallace, here it is in a nut shell without giving anything away: William Bloom’s father is dying. He and his father didn’t have the best relationship and it was partially, or mainly, due to his father’s tall tales of astonishing feats completed throughout his life.
With the movie, the appeal was the tall tales come to life with bright colors and brilliant scenery. In reading the book, I was drawn to the scenes between father and son, scenes which painted a picture of who his father truly was and acknowledged the sticky issue of clashes in a family without dwelling on it or choosing a victor.
It’s a tale that reminds us of what is important in life without belittling the needs of the individual, no matter how difficult they are for others to comprehend.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
“Remembering a man’s stories makes him immortal, did you know that?”
“For this is the only power I have, to bestow upon my father the mantle of greatness, a thing he sought in the wider world, but one that, in a surprise turn of events, was here at home all along.”
“This is what is meant by last words: they are keys to unlock the afterlife. They’re not last words but passwords, and as soon as they’re spoken you can go.”
“How can the world be seen at such speeds? Where do people need to go so badly they can’t realize what is already here, outside the car window?”
4/5 stars
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