The Wild Things Review
By Merinda / Spinebreakers Crew
I have a confession to make. I have never read the ‘Where the Wild Things Are.’ Oh heck while we’re at it I’ve never completed the Great Gatsby, Lolita or The Bible. I have never even laid eyes on the Gruffalo and I fell asleep during The Very Hungry Caterpillar- in defence of the last one I was 4 years old and it past nap-time. But anyway, after reading ‘The Wild Things’ by Dave Eggers I just might.
The Wild Things based on the original children’s book follows Max, the most sarcastic, cynical, angry 8 year-old the literary has ever seen. Max lives in a simple world, expresses complicated things with remarkably simple sentences and has simplistic emotions which offsets his whole journey. After a thoughtless act of regrettable revenge, Max sails the seas as his penance- that’s right an 8 year-old kid.- and ends up on an island of oddly hilarious beasts.
Max comes to understand the destructiveness of anger with simple comments and questions from the wild things such as “Not the kind of war you had in mind?” It makes you think, all of the wars instigated by mad leaders, they all thought war would be exactly as they planned it – them winning. Which is why they went to war. It also shows a summary of the problems people have with themselves. “I come here to remember who I am and am not.”
The book has you nodding and smiling at such seemingly stupid comments that are actually true to life like “I don’t like sitting down when people tell me to sit down. It takes the pleasure out of it-” You know it’s true, maybe not with sitting down, but say ‘forbidden’ boyfriends/girlfriends...
Though after you read the book, you might agree with me in thinking that Max is clinically insane. I am not joking, he needs to go to a psychiatrist or have a book written where he goes to one and sorts his mental problems out.
All in all, if you’ve got a few hours to spare, The Wild Things is a great way to spend it laughing and smiling and I have to say for a children’s book it’s quite philosophical.