Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump
Winston Groom
Black Swan, 1994

First impression:
The style meets my expectations, and I like how it challenges me to read words out loud to understand them, as with Trainspotting. As for the plot, I'm struck by its utter unlikeness to the film; the characters are there but acting altogether differently. This version is a lot more awkward, crude and, to say the least, realistic. Perhaps it will turn out better than its blockbuster companion.

Review:
Even though I enjoyed the language of the book, I found the work on the whole to be a little bit too much. Of course, it was difficult to know what to expect when the turnout was so incredibly different from the story we are all familiar with - but I will take back what I said about realism. The story was a lot less cute, but nevertheless far-fetched much of the time. Reading on the back gives me a hunch it is largely meant to be interpreted as societal criticism and satire, but for that purpose it wasn't, in my opinion, thought through enough; i.e. quite transparent and, because it deals with (then) contemporary issues, quite irrelevant. I had my hopes up for more.

Rating: Decent