Sinks the Novel

 

Nick, by Michael Farris Smith, is the back story of Nick Carraway, the narrator of The Great Gatsby.  Of course, with such a book, there is the question if this book rises to the Gatsby level – but that is not the best question for this novel.  I judge this work by one rubric: is it a good depiction of Nick?  The author chose not to have Nick deliver his story in the first person. In Gatsby, we receive the events through Nick’s narration.  For Nick, the novel, this does not matter so much in the first part of this story, where the narration is 'close' to Nick the character.  We only see the world through Nick (even though he is not the narrator).  But the author changes the view of the novel; after France, we are in the heads of other characters, not introduced yet.  It is confusing and bewildering, and sinks the novel.