What's Eating Gilbert Grape - By Peter Hedges

This is the first non young adult book I have read in awhile.  If you have not picked up on the theme yet (or are randomly searching the web for this book you would never know), I am trying to read my way through books my favorite films were based on.  My favorite movies just happen to have Johnny Depp in them.  So here we go:

This is the story of Gilbert Grape, and how he deals (or evades dealing with), everything in his life that is eating away at his soul.  For his entire life, he has lived in Endora, Iowa, a small and dull place where everyone knows everyone’s business, and there is never anything exciting going on. 

Gilbert is the man of his house, ever since his father hung himself and his older brother (Larry) moved away.  He has two older sisters, one of whom also got out of Endora (Janice), and another, Amy, who takes care of the house.  Gilbert has a younger sister, Ellen, who is a conceded pain in the butt, and an intellectually challenged younger brother, Arnie, who was never supposed to live past ten.  They live with their mother, who has not stopped eating or left the sofa since her husband committed suicide.  Who was once the talk of the town for her beauty, Bonnie Grape now weighs a few hundred pounds.

Arnie is turning eighteen, which is a huge milestone his mother claims is all she wants to see reached; that would be a miracle.  Gilbert has to deal with his dysfunctional family, his mundane job at the local food store (being squashed by the major food store that recently moved in), self loathing, a secret affair he has been having for ten years with an upstanding woman in the society, and looking after Arnie. 

Among other things, a gorgeous girl (Becky) comes into town to visit her grandmother, whom Gilbert becomes smitten with (as do all of the men of the town).  He struggles with his feelings for Becky, as she is a mixture of a tease and a woman wise beyond her years.  Gilbert just can’t figure his life out right now.  One thing is for certain, and he does not want to die in Endora; he just needs a way out.  By the end of the book, things begin to fall into place for Gilbert, who can finally start life anew.

I liked the book, but it was not my favorite.  I personally like the movie, and even reading with the cast in my mind, this book did not compare to the film (although the author also wrote the screenplay).  A book such as this, the reader desperately wants to empathize with Gilbert, but he comes off as a jerk.  Not that certain people don’t deserve to be happy, but the author makes it really difficult to feel sorry for him.  When bad things happen to good people, it is an outrage.  When bad things happen to self-centered sticks in the mud, it can be more easily brushed aside.

I’m glad I read this book, but do not see myself reading it again anytime soon.  The ending had such potential, and then fell flat.