A fun adaptation

As a Great Gatsby expert/apologist, I jumped on this adaptation when I saw it advertised on Kickstarter. Now, I admit I have a deep love of the source material. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels of all time, and there have been many different types of adaptations, so it’s hard to pit them against one another. This one, however, has a very contemporary stance that still feels like the original text in many ways.

In this version, a student named Lu Zhao moves to America in preparation for his freshman year at Columbia University. While there, he stays with his cousin Tommy and is introduced to the high life of America through raging parties, drugs, and the drama of rich kids. Gatsby is introduced into the story as a new guy in town who made it rich off of a fantastic new app. He’s also an ex of Tommy’s and returns to town to use other people to convince Tommy that they belong together. While that is happening, Lu Zhao is learning about gender and sexuality for whatever reason. I’m not sure why those aspects of life just don’t seem to have crossed his mind, but it’s all accepted with an open mind. Rather than the car crashes and murders of the original text, this adaptation involves gang rivalry and drug pushing along with the usual violence. I thought this served the story well in making it feel more modern and including the app creation, as it is very closely described in many of the AI discussions currently in the media.

This probably isn’t a five-star book, but reading so many terrible Gatsby adaptations has skewed my judgment since I enjoyed this one. It’s a fun, mostly fresh take on the tale, and I think if given to the right reluctant readers, it would be a hit among the high school set.

Title: Gatsby
Author: Jeremy Holt
Format: Paperback
Pages: 189
ISBN: 9781953165480

Three Descriptors: Gorgeous, Moving, Unique