Wild Thing

The Wild Things by Dave Eggers is an odd book to both read and recount. It's a novelisation of Eggers' screenplay of the recent film of the well-loved children's classic. Unsurprisingly, given the author's relationship to the film, it's an extremely faithful write-up. But, like the film, it's a strange beast, simultaneously completely unnecessary while also reasonably well-done. I don't really think that original picture book needed either a film or a book, but now that they exist I can see some merit in both. Essentially, the latter projects give the picture book's Max something of a contemporary backstory and motivation, and then tell a nice child's-eye-view of human relationships through the medium of monsters. Interesting, and well done, but still not something that the original book really needed. I remain unoffended by the recent incarnations, but I can understand why purists might well feel part of their childhood has been manhandled inappropriately.

In passing, C secured me a signed, hardback edition of the book which is pretty cool either way.