Big Fish (1998) by Daniel Wallace

 1,001 Novels: A Library of America

Big Fish (1998)

by Daniel Wallace

Spectre, Alabama

Alabama: 2/18

  My progress on the 1,001 Novels: A Library of America, Chapter 5, Blues & Bayous, Deltas and Coasts, which covers the swath of states from Georgia to Louisiana with Florida tacked on... has slowed to a proverbial crawl.  I'd place most of the blame of the seemingly endless jury trial I'm doing in Los Angeles- between the actual time and energy spent on the case AND the fact that the drive is only 20 minutes instead of the 2/3 hours between San Diego and LA that I'm used to- it's a challenge both to find the time/energy to actually read and listen to Audiobooks as well.

  Add to that the actual sadness of this part of America, between the struggles of African Americans AND socioeconomically disadvantaged whites, there is little sparkle, hope or beauty.   I picked Big Fish as a jail read because it seemed easy and I'd remembered the dumb Tim Burton movie.  I wasn't disappointed- even going so far as to get the special movie version of the book complete with proposed discussion prompts for a hypothetical book group discussion.

  Big Fish is a "fun" read (though in a sentimental, treacly way that emphasizes the importance of family ties) in that it consists of a series of "tall tales."  At the very least, there is no child abuse or overt racism in this novel.