Big Fish is the novel by Daniel Wallace Tim Burton based his wonderful movie on.

Plot:
Edmund Bloom lived his life to the fullest and always told fantastic stories about it. His son William always saw him as the biggest liar. Now, Edmund is dying and William is trying to reconcile the father and the stories into one whole picture he can comprehend.

The book is a lot like the movie (or better, the movie is a lot like the book). The stories are wonderful by themselves, but in the context, they are even better. I really liked it.

Just as the movie, the book is magical. It is divided in many little chapters, each describing one story. These are interrupted by William imagining his last conversation with his father.

It is really short, 180 pages and printed rather big, which is a shame. Not that there is anything missing, I just would have liked it to go on a little longer. Hear more fantastic tales, more jokes.

The novel definitely is an interesting starting point to think/talk about the creation of myths, of the truths in stories, of the dangers of interpretation and the meaning of lies. And it’s all that and a really nice story.

Well, what can I say… If you have seen the movie, you’ll know what the book is like. If you haven’t seen the movie, read the book and then watch it. It’s really worth it.