Big Fish

Big Fish is one strange story from Daniel Wallace. In fact, if I had not been listening to this on audio, I would have given up on it. The story is very subtle and the reader has to work pretty hard to understand it.

The book is made up of a series vignettes that move back and forth in time. The chronology problem can make it difficult to follow. William Bloom recounts stories about his dying father Edward Bloom. The stories take on mythic or legendary proportions as the stories are outrageous. Scenes of William with his father are interlaced with a loose chronology of the life story of Edward. The ending is especially Mythic. In the end, the message seems to be about becoming a Big Fish. The reader is left to interpret the meaning of the text and its implications.

I admit I picked up this book because of the movie. I have only seen the movie trailers and it looked imaginative and fun. The book was darker than I expected. The reader for the audio book did a good job and I especially appreciated the interview with the author at the end. Without that interview I would have disliked the book more. The author's comments helped me appreciate what he was trying to do.

Still the book was odd.

Book rating 3 stars.