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What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Tie-in to the major motion picture coming this October from Paramount Pictures, starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Lewis.
335 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1991
713 people are currently reading
15579 people want to read
About the author
Peter Hedges
20 books139 followersPeter Hedges is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director. His novel What's Eating Gilbert Grape was adapted into a critically acclaimed movie of the same title, which launched his film career.
In 2002 he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for About a Boy. In the same year, he wrote and directed Pieces of April, starring Katie Holmes, which he dedicated to his mother.
In 2002 he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for About a Boy. In the same year, he wrote and directed Pieces of April, starring Katie Holmes, which he dedicated to his mother.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 872 reviews
November 27, 2016
What's Eating Gilbert Grape originally came out when I was in high school. As per my mother's rule, one had to read the book before viewing the movie so I read the story of the Grape family before venturing to watch the film starring Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio. Peter Hedges created many memorable characters in small town Endora, Iowa, also known derogatorily by Gilbert as Endora of the line. A touching story about a dysfunctional family wasting away as their mother Bonnie eats herself into oblivion, I rooted for Gilbert to get out of town the entire time. It has been twenty years since I read this charming novel, but Gilbert, Arnie, and Bonnie have stayed with me, and I recommend Peter Hedges' work to any looking for a book about small town America.
April 12, 2023
What's eating Gilbert Grape? His dads dead, his mom, the "walrus", is eatting herself to death, his little sister is a bitch, a slut, and an abnoxioyusly devout christian, his brother is a "retard" (his word not mine), his friends are all idiots, his job is a complete dead end, his love interests are a 40ish year old mom or a 15 year old weirdo (Glibert is 24), the town he lives in is slowly dying, and there's absolutly nothing he can to do about any of it. So, what's eating Gilbert Grape? EVERYTHING!!! Everything is eating Gilbert Grape.
Young Gilbert Grape is a level 5 ass hole. He's an ass hole to his family. He's an ass hole to his friends. He's an ass hole to the women who show any interest in him. He's just an ass hole. The question is, can we blame Gilbert for being an ass hole? He lives in small town Iowa,where nothing ever happens. His family is the picture of dysfunction. He has absolutely nothing going for him, and everything going against him. So no, I dont think we can put all the blame on our friend Gilbert for being a world-class ass hole. But that still doesn't change the fact that he wasn't a very likable character, and since the entire book is from Gilbert's perspective, I found it somewhat of a letdown.
Overall, it wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible, a little weird, a little sad, a little funny, but mostly just ok.
Young Gilbert Grape is a level 5 ass hole. He's an ass hole to his family. He's an ass hole to his friends. He's an ass hole to the women who show any interest in him. He's just an ass hole. The question is, can we blame Gilbert for being an ass hole? He lives in small town Iowa,where nothing ever happens. His family is the picture of dysfunction. He has absolutely nothing going for him, and everything going against him. So no, I dont think we can put all the blame on our friend Gilbert for being a world-class ass hole. But that still doesn't change the fact that he wasn't a very likable character, and since the entire book is from Gilbert's perspective, I found it somewhat of a letdown.
Overall, it wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible, a little weird, a little sad, a little funny, but mostly just ok.
July 2, 2014
“You can tell the idyllic nature of a family by the upkeep of its picnic table. Ours is its own indictment. We are splintering and peeling. We rot.” – Gilbert Grape
Before Jonathan Safran Foer was the talk of literary circles for writing Everything is Illuminated at such a young age, there was Peter Hedges. What's Eating Gilbert Grape is his profound post-coming-of-age novel about twenty-four year old Gilbert Grape, a grocery store stock boy living in the tiny town of Endora, Iowa. Grappling with the desire to leave town and start an exciting life elsewhere, and the guilt and responsibility to stay and care for his family, he is unprepared when a beautiful young girl from the big city comes to town, and unexpectedly helps him come to terms with his feelings about his family and their past.
Considering how old Hedges was when he wrote this, it too was equally profound. Being a fan of the movie though, the book was definitely more gratifying. Gilbert is a complex young man, and several times I found myself thinking about how Johnny Depp was the perfect actor for this character. I was also struck by the loving relationship Gilbert has with his disabled brother, Arnie, probably one of the most astute characters in the book. I am so glad I found this book (for one dollar, no less). It seemed to be the perfect time to read it and reflect on the different crossroads we come to at various stages in our life, and the thoughts that pervade our mind in an attempt to ensure that we're making the best decision possible.
December 10, 2007
One of the few books where I enjoyed the movie version more. Here are some unsettling things about the book version that got left out of the movie:
-Gilbert is kind of an asshole, especially the way he constantly refers to his brother as "the retard." Not even Johnny Depp could have made that a likeable trait.
-Becky, Gilbert's love interest, is fourteen. He is in his mid-twenties. They do not sleep together, but they definitely want to, and it is creepy.
-Glbert's younger sister goes on a date with the owner of the funeral home. She is fifteen, and they are discovered together in the back of the funeral car. Ew.
If you liked the movie, you might find this book interesting, but I wholeheartedly prefer the movie.
-Gilbert is kind of an asshole, especially the way he constantly refers to his brother as "the retard." Not even Johnny Depp could have made that a likeable trait.
-Becky, Gilbert's love interest, is fourteen. He is in his mid-twenties. They do not sleep together, but they definitely want to, and it is creepy.
-Glbert's younger sister goes on a date with the owner of the funeral home. She is fifteen, and they are discovered together in the back of the funeral car. Ew.
If you liked the movie, you might find this book interesting, but I wholeheartedly prefer the movie.
December 20, 2019
***NO SPOILERS***
What’s eating Gilbert Grape? In short, a lot:
-His general ennui and restlessness in tiny, dead-end Endora, Iowa
-His morbidly obese mother
-His intellectually handicapped brother
-His romantic relationship
This is not all. Further topics Peter Hedges wrote about are as follows:
-Economic depression
-Adultery
-Sudden death
-Family shame
-Suicide
It’s too much, and it’s the book’s biggest flaw. Nevertheless, Hedges didn’t explore these to an equal degree. Endora is just wallpaper. The adultery is randomly tossed in, as is a sudden death and Gilbert’s romance. The economic depression is disappointingly undeveloped. Hedges wanted to stuff it all into one book, but he couldn’t; that would've meant a book 1,000 pages long.
Hedges’s most promising story lines involve Gilbert’s obese mother, Bonnie, and intellectually handicapped brother, Arnie. I was therefore most disappointed that he didn’t develop these characters, especially Bonnie, as well as he could.
She’s reduced to a sleeping, eating, demanding lump, a passive figure who I learned about more via narration from Gilbert rather than via direct characterization. There’s only brief backstory, but what’s clear is that there’s a lot eating her, and that has a great deal of relevance to what’s eating Gilbert. Gilbert resents what a burden she is, but that’s only ever apparent because of his references to her as a “whale” or “walrus.” The story demands she be more developed.
Along the same lines, Arnie comes across as little more than a mischievous sprite who enjoys climbing Endora’s water tower and is always in need of a good scrubbing. Intellectually handicapped characters beg for multi-dimensional depictions (think Flowers for Algernon). The story demands more…everything about him.
Of everyone in the Grape family, Bonnie and Arnie are the most intriguing, but what’s most important is they’re the ones trapping Gilbert in Endora. At one point, Hedges provided a glimpse into what could have been, and the story turns brilliant--it goes to that exact deeper, sobering place it needs to go--but just as quickly he reverted to the superficial: having Gilbert simply complain about his mom and to the usual goofy portrayal of Arnie.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape could have been really something if it had Gilbert and Bonnie just as they are, but with a honed mother-and-son focus or if it had Gilbert and Arnie just as they are, but with the honed focus on him and his brother. Or, if Hedges wanted to be ambitious, it could have all three, fully developed.
Hedges may have failed with Arnie and Bonnie, but some of his other characters are stronger and have their place. These are Gilbert’s older sister Amy as the caretaker and provider, his vain teenage sister Ellen, his always-cheerful boss, and his best friend. They make the book worth reading. The romantic interest, Becky, however, is a notable exception.
His relationship with Becky is one of the things eating Gilbert, yet it’s not for the reason it should be: the fact that he’s a 24-year-old man fantasizing about and romancing a 15-year-old girl. Becky is a sage who speaks so maturely that I thought she was an adult before Hedges revealed that she’s just a teen. This may have been purposeful on Hedges’s part, to distract from the reality. But since this side plot isn't about Gilbert’s grappling with his conscience, Hedges could have made Becky Gilbert’s age without hurting anything in this section. Her many wise statements--which sound ridiculous coming from a 15-year-old--would also then square with her age.
I did really enjoy this book for most of the characters. I was invested in learning about these small-town residents and about Endora. I didn’t get the latter wish, but I got enough of the former to keep me reading.
Most of all, I was curious about what was eating Gilbert Grape--but I’m still not sure about this. Too much in this story is scattered, some is a rough sketch, and some is entirely irrelevant. As a result, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is more of a light read, and that’s a shame, because I doubt that’s what Peter Hedges intended.
What’s eating Gilbert Grape? In short, a lot:
-His general ennui and restlessness in tiny, dead-end Endora, Iowa
-His morbidly obese mother
-His intellectually handicapped brother
-His romantic relationship
This is not all. Further topics Peter Hedges wrote about are as follows:
-Economic depression
-Adultery
-Sudden death
-Family shame
-Suicide
It’s too much, and it’s the book’s biggest flaw. Nevertheless, Hedges didn’t explore these to an equal degree. Endora is just wallpaper. The adultery is randomly tossed in, as is a sudden death and Gilbert’s romance. The economic depression is disappointingly undeveloped. Hedges wanted to stuff it all into one book, but he couldn’t; that would've meant a book 1,000 pages long.
Hedges’s most promising story lines involve Gilbert’s obese mother, Bonnie, and intellectually handicapped brother, Arnie. I was therefore most disappointed that he didn’t develop these characters, especially Bonnie, as well as he could.
She’s reduced to a sleeping, eating, demanding lump, a passive figure who I learned about more via narration from Gilbert rather than via direct characterization. There’s only brief backstory, but what’s clear is that there’s a lot eating her, and that has a great deal of relevance to what’s eating Gilbert. Gilbert resents what a burden she is, but that’s only ever apparent because of his references to her as a “whale” or “walrus.” The story demands she be more developed.
Along the same lines, Arnie comes across as little more than a mischievous sprite who enjoys climbing Endora’s water tower and is always in need of a good scrubbing. Intellectually handicapped characters beg for multi-dimensional depictions (think Flowers for Algernon). The story demands more…everything about him.
Of everyone in the Grape family, Bonnie and Arnie are the most intriguing, but what’s most important is they’re the ones trapping Gilbert in Endora. At one point, Hedges provided a glimpse into what could have been, and the story turns brilliant--it goes to that exact deeper, sobering place it needs to go--but just as quickly he reverted to the superficial: having Gilbert simply complain about his mom and to the usual goofy portrayal of Arnie.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape could have been really something if it had Gilbert and Bonnie just as they are, but with a honed mother-and-son focus or if it had Gilbert and Arnie just as they are, but with the honed focus on him and his brother. Or, if Hedges wanted to be ambitious, it could have all three, fully developed.
Hedges may have failed with Arnie and Bonnie, but some of his other characters are stronger and have their place. These are Gilbert’s older sister Amy as the caretaker and provider, his vain teenage sister Ellen, his always-cheerful boss, and his best friend. They make the book worth reading. The romantic interest, Becky, however, is a notable exception.
His relationship with Becky is one of the things eating Gilbert, yet it’s not for the reason it should be: the fact that he’s a 24-year-old man fantasizing about and romancing a 15-year-old girl. Becky is a sage who speaks so maturely that I thought she was an adult before Hedges revealed that she’s just a teen. This may have been purposeful on Hedges’s part, to distract from the reality. But since this side plot isn't about Gilbert’s grappling with his conscience, Hedges could have made Becky Gilbert’s age without hurting anything in this section. Her many wise statements--which sound ridiculous coming from a 15-year-old--would also then square with her age.
I did really enjoy this book for most of the characters. I was invested in learning about these small-town residents and about Endora. I didn’t get the latter wish, but I got enough of the former to keep me reading.
Most of all, I was curious about what was eating Gilbert Grape--but I’m still not sure about this. Too much in this story is scattered, some is a rough sketch, and some is entirely irrelevant. As a result, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is more of a light read, and that’s a shame, because I doubt that’s what Peter Hedges intended.
May 6, 2021
Gilbert Grape lives at home with two of his three sisters, Amy and Ellen, and one of his two brothers, Arnie. Arnie is mentally handicapped and depends on Gilbert a lot. So do his sisters, but Arnie's dependence is draining. Then there's Gilbert's momma. She also lives with them and is poifectly huge. Like hundreds of pounds worth of huge. She was once the prettiest girl in Endora where the Grape family home is located, but now...is not. The whole Grape clan is just counting the days to Arnie's 18th birthday. The birthday the doctors said he would never see.
Poor Gilbert works so hard to keep his family afloat. He's 24 and simply cannot live his own life. His family needs him, his mental support, and, yes, his paycheck, to survive. Gilbert's dad, Mr. Grape, has been dead for 17 years, and with his older brother gone everything falls on Gilbert's shoulders. There's never any time for Gilbert. A few stolen moments here or there, but even they are tinged in guilt and regret.
This book was lovely. Not because it was sweet, or because I loved Gilbert, he could be quite the shit, but I defy anyone to live under the circumstances and burdens Gilbert endured every day and not be one at least occasionally. It was lovely because it was realistic. There is no Mother Theresa among us today. There are just people doing what they can to get by. Doing what has to be done to get their family and loved ones one day closer to happiness. Yes, Gilbert lost patience with Arnie and his sisters on occasion, but he still stayed and cared for his family in the best way he knew how. In a very sad, but real way.
The Grape clan was a bunch of characters, to say the least, and Gilbert's friends and fellow citizens were every bit as quirky, but anyone who has ever lived in a small town knows this is the way people really are. It's the normal people who get out. It's the regular people who leave town to find their dreams and futures. It's as if the real characters are a little larger than the Regular Joes so are caught in the sieve of small-town life. Too big to fall through the screen, but small enough to feel the pinch.
This book touches on the loss of small-town life with the Mom n Pop establishments. The encroachment of Wal-Marts and Krogers on sweet ol' Main Street USA. It shows us that not only the old codgers mourn the loss, but some of the younger generation as well. Gilbert's romance with the new to town Becky is just one more example of the uniqueness of small-town folk. Becky belonged in Endora in the same way Gilbert belongs and for some of the same reasons that Gilbert's older siblings who have left town do not. Small town life takes a certain fortitude and strength. Gilbert has it. Becky may as well. The Grape kids who have left do not.
Poor Gilbert works so hard to keep his family afloat. He's 24 and simply cannot live his own life. His family needs him, his mental support, and, yes, his paycheck, to survive. Gilbert's dad, Mr. Grape, has been dead for 17 years, and with his older brother gone everything falls on Gilbert's shoulders. There's never any time for Gilbert. A few stolen moments here or there, but even they are tinged in guilt and regret.
This book was lovely. Not because it was sweet, or because I loved Gilbert, he could be quite the shit, but I defy anyone to live under the circumstances and burdens Gilbert endured every day and not be one at least occasionally. It was lovely because it was realistic. There is no Mother Theresa among us today. There are just people doing what they can to get by. Doing what has to be done to get their family and loved ones one day closer to happiness. Yes, Gilbert lost patience with Arnie and his sisters on occasion, but he still stayed and cared for his family in the best way he knew how. In a very sad, but real way.
The Grape clan was a bunch of characters, to say the least, and Gilbert's friends and fellow citizens were every bit as quirky, but anyone who has ever lived in a small town knows this is the way people really are. It's the normal people who get out. It's the regular people who leave town to find their dreams and futures. It's as if the real characters are a little larger than the Regular Joes so are caught in the sieve of small-town life. Too big to fall through the screen, but small enough to feel the pinch.
This book touches on the loss of small-town life with the Mom n Pop establishments. The encroachment of Wal-Marts and Krogers on sweet ol' Main Street USA. It shows us that not only the old codgers mourn the loss, but some of the younger generation as well. Gilbert's romance with the new to town Becky is just one more example of the uniqueness of small-town folk. Becky belonged in Endora in the same way Gilbert belongs and for some of the same reasons that Gilbert's older siblings who have left town do not. Small town life takes a certain fortitude and strength. Gilbert has it. Becky may as well. The Grape kids who have left do not.
August 2, 2021
It’s extremely rare for me to reread a book but I’ve now read this 3 times and it’s still as wonderful as I remember. Now I’m older, I do find the age gap between Becky and Gilbert too much, especially considering how Gilbert treats her. I wish the author had made her a bit older. But a small criticism on an otherwise perfect novel. Loved it!
December 15, 2020
I remember watching this moving in like 9th grade English class.... and the teacher fast forwarded during a scene or two, lol. I came across an old reading list from when i was in high school filled with a bunch of classics, and I went back and read a few of them, this being one of them! I still think its a weird title though. Haha.
May 2, 2022
I felt honored to be allowed inside Gilbert's head, because he always says the opposite of what he's thinking, and doesn't let anybody in. His distance from everyone lets him look at them in a light untouched by positive regard or optimism. He shares with the reader the brutal truth of what he's thinking, which is often guiltily hysterical.
Even still, you know there's a heart somewhere in there by the way he looks after Arnie. It was one of the sweetest relationships I've ever seen, although he treated everybody else kind of like crap.
There's no use trying to escape your life, it won't make any of it better.
Loving people is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Even still, you know there's a heart somewhere in there by the way he looks after Arnie. It was one of the sweetest relationships I've ever seen, although he treated everybody else kind of like crap.
There's no use trying to escape your life, it won't make any of it better.
Loving people is the best thing you can do for yourself.
March 5, 2011
From a passage in the book where Momma is talking to Gilbert about motherhood/creastion: "I see you and I know that I'm a god. Or a goddess. Godlike! And this house is my kingdom. Yes, Gilbert. This chair is my throne. And you, Gilbert, are my knight in shimmering armor."..."Shining, I think, Momma, is what you mean."..."No, I know what I mean. You don't shine, Gilbert. You shimmer. You hear?. You shimmer!"
My dictionary defines shimmer as a verb and as a noun: to shine with or reflect a soft, tremulous light; a soft tremulous light.
This novel shimmers with that soft, tremulous light. It is a subtle story, written in a subtle style. One is surprised to find what appear to be nondescript sentences that are actually keys to the book, great with meaning. The above discussion of "shimmer" is such an example. As is this, possibly my favorite sentence in the book, marking the moment of Gilbert's, for lack of a better word, awakening: "And as the remaining dirt on Arnie starts washing away, it begins."
I have wanted to read this book for years. And now I have. And it was worth the wait.
My dictionary defines shimmer as a verb and as a noun: to shine with or reflect a soft, tremulous light; a soft tremulous light.
This novel shimmers with that soft, tremulous light. It is a subtle story, written in a subtle style. One is surprised to find what appear to be nondescript sentences that are actually keys to the book, great with meaning. The above discussion of "shimmer" is such an example. As is this, possibly my favorite sentence in the book, marking the moment of Gilbert's, for lack of a better word, awakening: "And as the remaining dirt on Arnie starts washing away, it begins."
I have wanted to read this book for years. And now I have. And it was worth the wait.
October 6, 2014
You know what makes me hang my head in shame?
The fact that I didn't know this book was a book until earlier this year.
I am not even kidding. Yes, I am a librarian and have been for a really long time and still, I had no idea this was a book.
So much shame for me.
My ridiculous excuse that I just now made up to make myself feel better about my prior ignorance: This came out in 1991 and I had been in college for a year and was getting the hang of things and really buckling down to study and such. I didn't read for pleasure anymore and I think all fiction that came out between 1990-1995 that didn't go through the library was missed by me. That's my excuse.
Anyway, I now know this is a book and I have read it.
It makes the movie make a lot more sense. I liked the movie quite well (I did see that when it came out; I also just watched it the other night for the sake of comparison and if it said "Based on the book by Peter Hedges" in the beginning, I missed it both the first time and when I watched it again on Friday) but I like the book a lot better. It's much more nuanced, the relationships between everyone are deeper, more real, more painful. I could relate with Book Gilbert far better than I could with Movie Gilbert and now I don't think Juliette Lewis was such a good choice.
But whatever.
This was a solid story and the ending is much more powerful in text, at least it was for me.
The fact that I didn't know this book was a book until earlier this year.
I am not even kidding. Yes, I am a librarian and have been for a really long time and still, I had no idea this was a book.
So much shame for me.
My ridiculous excuse that I just now made up to make myself feel better about my prior ignorance: This came out in 1991 and I had been in college for a year and was getting the hang of things and really buckling down to study and such. I didn't read for pleasure anymore and I think all fiction that came out between 1990-1995 that didn't go through the library was missed by me. That's my excuse.
Anyway, I now know this is a book and I have read it.
It makes the movie make a lot more sense. I liked the movie quite well (I did see that when it came out; I also just watched it the other night for the sake of comparison and if it said "Based on the book by Peter Hedges" in the beginning, I missed it both the first time and when I watched it again on Friday) but I like the book a lot better. It's much more nuanced, the relationships between everyone are deeper, more real, more painful. I could relate with Book Gilbert far better than I could with Movie Gilbert and now I don't think Juliette Lewis was such a good choice.
But whatever.
This was a solid story and the ending is much more powerful in text, at least it was for me.
April 9, 2022
Hilarious! And human! And sometimes creepy?
December 1, 2014
Hedges' masterful first novel should be studied and studied (and studied again) by anyone thinking of writing a book in the first-person/present-tense because it is a style that only lends itself properly to a particular voice, rhythm, and cadence. It should never be approached in the same manner as a novel written in the more common first-person/past-tense. That said, What's Eating Gilbert Grape is nothing short of a modern classic. I've read it over 30 times (on one particular occasion, I immediately turned to the first page after finishing the last and started reading again), and I know with complete certainty that I will read it many more times before my time is done.
July 30, 2023
"We should be embarrassed by our attempts at patriotism. My brother's costume is the exception. He looks like an American. In fact, he behaves like one. When he tried to pick up the first kid he knocked down, he smashed into several others, it snowballed, chaos ensued. My brother very much resembled America today in pretty much all things."
I really enjoyed this book because it's like nothing I've ever read before. It was unique and special. Just like the characters and the story.
Gilbert Grape lives in Endora, Iowa with his family: mother, two sisters, and one brother living with him. He works at the barely profitable Lamson Grocery, and everyone shops at Food Land. His dad killed himself seventeen years prior, and his mother has been eating huge amounts every day since. She hasn't left the house in years. His sixteen-year-old sister is becoming insufferable, and his older sister is about to crack under the pressure of taking care of the family. His little brother is turning eighteen, a great feat in this family, a cause for celebration.
A new girl comes into town and entrances Gilbert, and it's all of this is just too much for him. He wants to leave: this boring town, this horrid family, but he just can't leave them all alone. He doesn't know what to do.
All of the characters that Peter Hedges creates are uncommon and different from everyone else. These people seem so real, so lifelike, even though nobody is brave enough to say what they are really thinking or acting how they really feel. I loved all the people, even the less-than-likely ones.
The writing was simple and clear. It was told through the point of view of Gilbert, and it was nice to be inside his head and see what he was thinking. It made me feel like I was close with Gilbert, actually talking to him.
The story was unforgettable.
In the end, Gilbert may not have been a spectacular person, but he was doing the best he could. His family was far from perfect, but they were just trying to do their best and make it through the day. Life is like that sometimes and I'm thankful that this book taught me that.
I really enjoyed this book because it's like nothing I've ever read before. It was unique and special. Just like the characters and the story.
Gilbert Grape lives in Endora, Iowa with his family: mother, two sisters, and one brother living with him. He works at the barely profitable Lamson Grocery, and everyone shops at Food Land. His dad killed himself seventeen years prior, and his mother has been eating huge amounts every day since. She hasn't left the house in years. His sixteen-year-old sister is becoming insufferable, and his older sister is about to crack under the pressure of taking care of the family. His little brother is turning eighteen, a great feat in this family, a cause for celebration.
A new girl comes into town and entrances Gilbert, and it's all of this is just too much for him. He wants to leave: this boring town, this horrid family, but he just can't leave them all alone. He doesn't know what to do.
All of the characters that Peter Hedges creates are uncommon and different from everyone else. These people seem so real, so lifelike, even though nobody is brave enough to say what they are really thinking or acting how they really feel. I loved all the people, even the less-than-likely ones.
The writing was simple and clear. It was told through the point of view of Gilbert, and it was nice to be inside his head and see what he was thinking. It made me feel like I was close with Gilbert, actually talking to him.
The story was unforgettable.
In the end, Gilbert may not have been a spectacular person, but he was doing the best he could. His family was far from perfect, but they were just trying to do their best and make it through the day. Life is like that sometimes and I'm thankful that this book taught me that.
July 27, 2018
I have this friend who has a rule (although he will deny that it's a rule) that he won't see movies if he has read the book-and vice versa-because it's a waste of time when there are so many movies to be seen and books to be read. And sometimes that is true but I am pretty much the opposite. If I liked the book, I'm curious to see how they adapt it for the screen. If I liked the movie or at least found it interesting, I want to go back to read the book to fill in the inevitable blanks. House of Sand and Fog, for example, was a great adaptation of the book but ended when there was still half the book to go. Ditto for Cavedweller.
Then you've got a book like this, which takes the same characters (Gilbert Grape and his dysfunctional family remnants) and setting (a dying small town in rural Iowa) but has a totally different mood from the film. Which is interesting since Hedges wrote both the book and the screenplay. As cliche as it is to drag out Salinger's ghost, Gilbert Grape, age 24, has a distinct Holden Caulfield-ish aura about him. Call him "Catcher in the Soybeans." He works stocking shelves at a local grocery that is barely surviving since a chain store opened nearby. He and his older sister care for their teenage sister, his mentally challenged brother and their mother who has pretty much been eating her grief since their father hung himself almost 20 years ago in their basement. She has become so large that she is virtually immobile, hasn't left the house in years, and the floor beneath her chair is now starting to cave in. It sounds unbearably maudlin perhaps at this point. Thanks to the misanthropic yet likable narrator, it's not.
I don't know how to describe this book. Parts were sad, parts were very funny. I didn't totally click with it for some reason. Perhaps it's because I'm a heathen who never totally appreciated Salinger? But I can understand how other people can love it.
The movie, on the other hand, is one of my all-time favorites.
Then you've got a book like this, which takes the same characters (Gilbert Grape and his dysfunctional family remnants) and setting (a dying small town in rural Iowa) but has a totally different mood from the film. Which is interesting since Hedges wrote both the book and the screenplay. As cliche as it is to drag out Salinger's ghost, Gilbert Grape, age 24, has a distinct Holden Caulfield-ish aura about him. Call him "Catcher in the Soybeans." He works stocking shelves at a local grocery that is barely surviving since a chain store opened nearby. He and his older sister care for their teenage sister, his mentally challenged brother and their mother who has pretty much been eating her grief since their father hung himself almost 20 years ago in their basement. She has become so large that she is virtually immobile, hasn't left the house in years, and the floor beneath her chair is now starting to cave in. It sounds unbearably maudlin perhaps at this point. Thanks to the misanthropic yet likable narrator, it's not.
I don't know how to describe this book. Parts were sad, parts were very funny. I didn't totally click with it for some reason. Perhaps it's because I'm a heathen who never totally appreciated Salinger? But I can understand how other people can love it.
The movie, on the other hand, is one of my all-time favorites.
July 15, 2016
You don’t shine, Gilbert. You shimmer. You hear? You shimmer!
Like many before me, for a long time I had no idea that there was a book upon which one of the most important movies of my adolescent years was based.
The story of the Grape family in the novel is more realistic, while all the characters are simply more human. There aren't that many good people in the little town of Endora, and Gilbert falls rightin between the white and the black.
[...]there’s nothing worse than being told you’re good when you know you’re bad.
Gilbert from the novel is more overwhelmed with life, his perception of people surrounding him sharper, and having him as the narrator/focalizer makes for a very drastic point of view.
Surprisingly it is the book, not movie, that brings the flesh and bone to Gilbert's struggles and to people around him, who do not serve as background characters but simply feel as other real people living in Endora.
Arnie's illness is far less pretty, Amy's struggles are far harder, and his mother is more disturbed than in the movie. And there is far more that's eating Gilbert Grape.
Like many before me, for a long time I had no idea that there was a book upon which one of the most important movies of my adolescent years was based.
The story of the Grape family in the novel is more realistic, while all the characters are simply more human. There aren't that many good people in the little town of Endora, and Gilbert falls rightin between the white and the black.
[...]there’s nothing worse than being told you’re good when you know you’re bad.
Gilbert from the novel is more overwhelmed with life, his perception of people surrounding him sharper, and having him as the narrator/focalizer makes for a very drastic point of view.
Surprisingly it is the book, not movie, that brings the flesh and bone to Gilbert's struggles and to people around him, who do not serve as background characters but simply feel as other real people living in Endora.
Arnie's illness is far less pretty, Amy's struggles are far harder, and his mother is more disturbed than in the movie. And there is far more that's eating Gilbert Grape.
February 10, 2009
One of my very favorite books. I'd seen (and loved) the movie version before picking up this book, but it was the style of writing that made it jump out to me and establish itself as separate. Gilbert's inner monologue? Brilliant and hilarious, I could go on and on. It felt so REAL to me. Mr. Hedges is very talented. Through the prose I was enveloped in the sleepy town vibe so completely that I felt as if Endora were my own hometown, familiar in every way. I continue to recommend this book to anyone searching for a good read, and no one has been disappointed so far.
August 16, 2014
This was my favourite book when I was a teenager. I loved it when I was in high school, had parts of it memorized and read it multiple times. I was nervous and scared to read it. But you know what, I LOVED it. It's extremely well written and the voice is strong. It is funny and sad and influential. It has shaped the way I write . I still love this book. I noticed that the author has a contact form on his website. I intend to write him a note.
March 3, 2015
From IMDb:
Gilbert has to care for his brother Arnie and his obese mother, which gets in the way when love walks into his life.
Gilbert has to care for his brother Arnie and his obese mother, which gets in the way when love walks into his life.
November 28, 2018
A Masterpiece
February 13, 2025
I’ve seen the movie, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, a few times over the years and had always been curious about the book and I LOVED IT. As you would expect the book is quite different and more layered offering so much color and depth to nearly every character. Gilbert and the Grapes are complicated, tragic, and funny. I was sad to say goodbye but so glad I was able to get to know them.
August 23, 2025
This book genuinely broke my heart, the story was sad but also held a lot of positive lessons and humor. I think the characters really held the book up, Peter Hedges shows Gilbert's self-isolation, indecisiveness, loyalty, and all the negative and positive sides to his character leaving lots of room for you to judge Gilbert based on your own interpretation- personally I loved him. Gilbert tells his story honestly, with a lot of humor packed in- slightly biting and dark at times but still funny. The rest of the characters were also very real, down-to-earth, and with their own little quirks and things they dealt with that rounded out the story and made it deeper.
August 13, 2019
This book started off with the typical guy who isn't satisfied with his eccentric family or small town life, and at first it was amusing enough to feel some sort of sympathy for Gilbert. But as the book progressed, Gilbert got to be more and more of a jerk, and his bitterness just got to be toxic. Movie Gilbert is a jerk but is still sympathetic. Book Gilbert is downright poisonous. I'm guessing the difference is you can't hear all the terrible things that pass through Gilbert's head on any given day in the movie.
I'm not saying I wouldn't have turned out like that if I was in a similar situation. I'm not even saying that I don't get to be a huge jerk with toxic thoughts when I'm having a bad day. But this is Gilbert's total and complete personality. I get it, he is trapped. He doesn't have many good days. He can't stay in Endora or he will go insane, but he can't leave Endora because he is one of the strongest pillars holding his family up. Anyone would start to feel bitter in that situation. But I don't find his unhappiness entertaining or edifying or moving or relatable or interesting to read or anything like that, particularly when he starts saying things like he hopes one of his sister's co-workers - who is described as a born-again Christian 17-year-old assistant manager - dies by the end of the day. Seriously, what is your problem, dude. What. Is. Your. Problem.
This one is getting added to my list of "Sometimes the Movie Is Better" list. In fact . . . *trots off to make new bookshelf*
I'm not saying I wouldn't have turned out like that if I was in a similar situation. I'm not even saying that I don't get to be a huge jerk with toxic thoughts when I'm having a bad day. But this is Gilbert's total and complete personality. I get it, he is trapped. He doesn't have many good days. He can't stay in Endora or he will go insane, but he can't leave Endora because he is one of the strongest pillars holding his family up. Anyone would start to feel bitter in that situation. But I don't find his unhappiness entertaining or edifying or moving or relatable or interesting to read or anything like that, particularly when he starts saying things like he hopes one of his sister's co-workers - who is described as a born-again Christian 17-year-old assistant manager - dies by the end of the day. Seriously, what is your problem, dude. What. Is. Your. Problem.
This one is getting added to my list of "Sometimes the Movie Is Better" list. In fact . . . *trots off to make new bookshelf*
May 17, 2016
Thought I was different and it seems I'm just the same
As a game I put my hand over the flame
I thought, I was smarter as I flew into the sun
But it turned out the way it does with everyone
Oh, oh, I don't fly around your fire anymore
I don't fly around your fire anymore
Burned and fallen down so many times before
I don't fly around your fire anymore
I love the heat, I love the things that I forgot
I love the strings that tie me down and cut me off
I was a king, I was a moth with painted wings made of cloth
When did the flame burn so high and get so hot?
Oh, oh, I don't fly around your fire anymore
I don't fly around your fire anymore
Burned and fallen down so many times before
I don't fly around, fly around
Fly around
I don't fly around your fire anymore
I don't fly around your fire anymore
Burned and fallen down so many times before
I don't fly around, fly around
I don't fly around your fire anymore
I don't fly around your fire anymore
Burned and fallen down so many times before
I don't fly around, fly around
Oh, fly around, oh
-------------------------
This is a Song from Audioslave by Chris Cornell. This is how much I love this book, its movie, and Johnny Depp.
March 3, 2010
I loved this book! The story is simple but engaging and the character of Gilbert Grape is one of the most well constructed male characters I’ve read in a long time. I enjoyed it so much because it’s not quite a coming of age story; Gilbert is older and feels the adult pressures of being a grown up but he’s still young enough that his life has not passed him by, even though he thinks it has, and all these other characters in the book are trying to show him this.
Coming from a “unique” family myself, this story endures itself to me as much for the good of it’s characters but also their flaws. My only regret is that I wish I had read this book sooner!
Excellent writing, excellent characters and an amazing story…what else can you ask for in a book?
Coming from a “unique” family myself, this story endures itself to me as much for the good of it’s characters but also their flaws. My only regret is that I wish I had read this book sooner!
Excellent writing, excellent characters and an amazing story…what else can you ask for in a book?
April 21, 2020
This book was written fairly well, which is why it's two stars and not one.
This book does have humour in it, but it's not a happy book. Gilbert Grape is part of a highly dysfunctional family still suffering in their own ways since his dad was found in the basement after hanging himself, and in addition, his younger brother Arnie has special needs. They are dysfunctional because none of them has had any sort of help in handling their feelings and issues since then.
If you like really psychological, darkly funny novels about families in crisis, then you may well like this book. There is a redeeming feature to this book--a very redeeming feature, but that goes beyond the kinds of things I include in my review.
This book does have humour in it, but it's not a happy book. Gilbert Grape is part of a highly dysfunctional family still suffering in their own ways since his dad was found in the basement after hanging himself, and in addition, his younger brother Arnie has special needs. They are dysfunctional because none of them has had any sort of help in handling their feelings and issues since then.
If you like really psychological, darkly funny novels about families in crisis, then you may well like this book. There is a redeeming feature to this book--a very redeeming feature, but that goes beyond the kinds of things I include in my review.
March 28, 2021
2.5 but it didn't deserve a round up. I know the book is about everything that bothers Gilbert but dang pretty much all it is is over 300 pages of non stop whiny complaining. It just got so old so fast.
One of the only things I liked was learning more about each Grape and was surprised to find there are two more siblings that don't exist in the movie! It made the story a bit more deep and complex.
Speaking of the movie, I wonder if my negative perception of this book is due to seeing it so many times. For once I think the movie did it better. MUCH better.
My overall review? Meh.
One of the only things I liked was learning more about each Grape and was surprised to find there are two more siblings that don't exist in the movie! It made the story a bit more deep and complex.
Speaking of the movie, I wonder if my negative perception of this book is due to seeing it so many times. For once I think the movie did it better. MUCH better.
My overall review? Meh.
August 28, 2018
Let me just say that yes, the movie was good (great! phenomenal even!), but the book is definitely better. Gilbert Grape has some very sardonic and hilarious thoughts that you can only experience if you read the book. I had no idea Gilbert's character felt the way he did. So many things were left out of the movie. I really fell in love with everyone. The amount of compassion you feel for these people in this small Iowa town is astounding.
February 16, 2022
If you like the movie, you’ll love the book. The book is always better right? It was a bit harsh to see the “R” word used so often. And you may want to check trigger warnings. Some of the things that happen in this book just didn’t sit right with me. I’m glad they left those parts out of the movie.
May 16, 2022
Gilbert is kind of an asshole throughout but you know what? You'd be too if you had to go through half of what he does in this book. Really enjoyed but- and this is blasphemy- I think the film was better.
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