big fish a novel of mythic proportions by daniel wallace

But now Edward Bloom is dying, and William wants desperately to know the truth about his elusive father-this indefatigable teller of tall tales-before it’s too late. At least that’s what he told his son, William.

Animals loved him, people loved him, women loved him. In his prime, Edward Bloom was an extraordinary man. “A charming whopper of a tale.” - The San Diego Union-Tribune At the heart of both legends and death scenes live the same age-old questions: Who are you? What matters to you? Was I a good father? Was I a good son? In mapping the territory where myth meets everyday life, Wallace plunges straight through to fatherhood's archaic and mysterious heart. But now, see, you've got all these great jokes.' The structure is a clever conceit, and the end product is both funny and wise. After all, he admits, '.if I shared my doubts with you, about God and love and life and death, that's all you'd have: a bunch of doubts. In chapters titled 'In Which He Speaks to Animals,' 'How He Tamed the Giant,' 'His Immortality,' and the like, Edward Bloom walks miles through a blizzard, charms the socks off a giant, even runs so fast that 'he could arrive in a place before setting out to get there.' In between these heroic episodes, Bloom dies not once but four times, working subtle variations on a single scene in which he counters his son's questions with stories-some of which are actually very witty, indeed. Desperate to know his father before he dies, William recreates his father's life as the stuff of legend itself.

This is subject matter as old as the hills, but Wallace's take is nothing if not original. He was never around when William was growing up he eludes serious questions with a string of tall tales and jokes. From his son's standpoint, Edward Bloom leaves much to be desired.

In Big Fish, Daniel Wallace angles in search of a father and hooks instead a fictional debut as winning as any this year.

Big fish a novel of mythic proportions by daniel wallace