[Reading] The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This is the story of a man who ages backwards.

I saw the movie some time ago already. The idea was indeed curious and so I went ahead and watched it as soon as I could. And I liked it.

Yesterday, I was browsing through a second-hand books shop and I saw this particular cover. I liked it very much and ended up buying it. I just couldn’t let go of a cover that looked like it.

But that’s not the sole reason why I bought this book. It was what was written in the back.

Today, F. Scott Fitzgerald is known for his novels, but in his lifetime, his fame stemmed from his prolific achievement as one of America’s most gifted story writers. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” a witty and fantastical satire about aging, is one of his most memorable stories.

In 1860 Benjamin Button is born an old man and mysteriously begins aging backward. At the beginning of his life he is withered and worn, but as he continues to grow younger he embraces life — he goes to war, runs a business, falls in love, has children, goes to college and prep school, and, as his mind begins to devolve, he attends kindergarten and eventually returns to the care of his nurse.

This strange and haunting story embodies the sharp social insight that has made Fitzgerald one of the great voices in the history of American literature.

It’s so different from what I saw in the movie that I really wanted to read the original. I am yet to judge which one I’d like better. But don’t they always say, “The book was better.”?

Did you seen the movie? Have you read the book? What do you think of it?