On “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”: A Book Review

Okay, so admittedly this really is a short story, but as it has been published on its own, I’m considering it suitable for a book review because otherwise this month’s review would be on either a children’s book or an American noir book, neither a genre I really want to write on at the moment. And with that, on to the review…

About the book...
Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1922, this is certainly an unusual story of aging. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” opens on the advent a birth, however it is no ordinary birth in that Benjamin Buttons is born an old man and for what reason no one knows. To further add to his unusual start in life, it is soon apparent that he is aging backwards, slowly growing younger and leading to a life filled with experiences both common and uncommon to the average being.

What I think…
As someone who has long been inclined to liking stories involving time travel, anomalies, and, overall, anything involving some sort of manipulation of time, for me this one falls into the category of being a rather good one. One of the main things that stands out about it is how thought provoking it is on the subject of aging. It really makes you think about the ageing process in general, and the way we perceive ourselves at each age, in addition to the way others perceive us.~~It would have been nice had this been turned into a novel, but at the same time I almost feel that were it any longer it would have lost the poignancy coming from its pace and the way that Benjamin reacts to ageing backwards.~~As far as comparing this to any of Fitzgerald’s other works, I can’t give any opinion as it’s been over four years since I readThe Great Gatsby and the other short story I read by him has completely escaped me at the moment.

To sum it all up...
While I like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, I can see that it might not be a story for everyone. It is something that would probably be better suited for fans of Fitzgerald, fantasy lovers, and those who enjoy a quirky, yet touching, tale. ♥