I completed reading The Great Gatsby last week. This book was a classic topic of English courses during my high-school years. I did however take only basic courses in English and never got to read this book. Instead we read "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner".

But back to Gatsby. The book started off, with the protagonist moving to the eastern United States and joining the bond selling business. It details the luxurious property of Gatsby. For me this led to a rather slow start. Bond business and high-society babble being not my favorite topic.

The plot does develop quickly however, a short passage anticipating the true identity of Gatsby, and some pages later the disconnected characters of the novel get woven into the tight fabric of the story.

I'll admit: I liked it. Despite the setting early in the 20th century and the eclectic mix of characters, that seemingly have no profane sorrows and only care for their entertainment, the story is surprisingly classical in it's structure.

But I can't make myself see any deeper meaning, any social relevance. The
story looks a little bit like a crime story set in the roaring twenties. The narrator is styled as a man with modest roots from the mid-west. This makes the story more relatable, but doesn't compensate for the shallow drama of the story.

I think it's masterfully executed, but nonetheless I feel like leaving the book with a disdain for the shallow story.