The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I don't plan on seeing the movie, even though it won Oscars and got great reviews. Frankly, the whole movie looks pretentious and I find Brad Pitt annoying (and don't even get me started on "Brangelina"). But then I saw this at the library...

How could I resist? I could learn what the movie was about without needing to sit through hours of Brad Pitt gazing soulfully, plus I can smugly say I read the book instead of watching the movie. Perfect! Even better, the dialogue of the novel was used in the graphic novel format so my tired, mushy pregnancy brain didn't have to think too hard.

I liked the book, but it was a sad story. It's set at the turn of the century, and a baby is born "backwards." He comes into the world a full-grown, aged man who wants nothing more than a decent cane, hot tea, and the Sunday paper. His whole family is embarrassed by him and they have no idea what to do with this old person who is really their son. As time passes, he ages backwards, getting younger as the rest of his family passes him by. It was a sad story because at the end of his life, Benjamin Button was truly an infant. His family put him away somewhere where they wouldn't be embarrassed, his friends moved on, and all the memories of his rich and interesting life were replaced by the simple desires to drink his milk, sleep, and be comforted by his nanny.

It was an interesting concept for a book. Apparently the author really enjoyed writing these surreal novels but they didn't sell as well, necessitating his move into "serious" fiction and commercial success. It got me thinking about what I hope to have at the end of my own life, my family legacy and what accomplishments I want to remember. Not bad for a graphic novel.