I've been familiar with the 1993 film directed by Lasse Halmstrom since I was around thirteen-years-old and have loved its tone and story for a very long time. I was initially surprised to discover that that film had been an adaptation but then immediately after grew curious about its source material.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a brilliant and tender story about family, being different, infatuation, death, judgement, failure, feeling lost, and Hedges explores this multitude of themes with genuine ease and tact. This book reads as though it has been extracted from his own life and experiences, and not a single note seems false.

Gilbert himself is a difficult character to pinpoint despite it being told from his perspective. He is unkind and harsh at times, especially towards his own family and friends, which should perhaps make us dislike him yet it doesn't. In fact, it makes us feel he is being honest, as someone would be in their own thoughts.

This is one of the best coming of age stories I've encountered and is definitely a favourite. There were aspects from the film that I preferred (

for example, the character of Becky and her relationship with Gilbert was much more engaging

) but overall, this is a book that absolutely stands on its own. This was a pure delight to read.