Under the always watching gaze of eyes above plays out a scene full of gaudiness and glamour. On this side of the earth, privileged people roam the ground aimlessly in search of their next distraction. It is on this stage that one man has spent his life trying to be a player and has spent his money trying to earn the love of one woman, Daisy Buchanan.

Like vegetables and Justin Timberlake, this novel’s likability changed drastically in our eyes as we got older. As kids, we were on Gatsby’s side. He was an idealist, determined, wealthy, and he knew how to throw a party. Nick barely made a blip on our radar, but Gatsby — he was worth our aspirations. Gatsby’s end cast a murky shadow on the entire book.

Of course, we were wrong.

Gatsby is a stalker whose obsession with Daisy borders on psychotic. His life, and indeed the lives of all the people in this book, lacks purpose. They’re just moving through the world like flapper wearing, champagne-sipping bulls in a china shop. They smash and grunt and smash and leave it all for someone else to clean up.

Our theme this week is Rosy Retrospection and How to Get Over an Ex. Relatable, no?

Enjoy the show, and when you’re done listening, let us know if your view of this book has changed since childhood. Comment below or find us on social media @litsocietypod!