I love The Great Gatsby with its flawed characters and 1920s decadence, so I jumped at the chance to read an alternative take on that world. Daisy Buchanan is given, if not a more sympathetic treatment, then certainly she is rounded out much more in this tale and the reader is invited to sympathise far more with her. The introduction of Gatsby's younger sister is done extremely well. In the original, told entirely from Nick Carraway's perspective, Gatsby is given almost hero-status, but through Greta's eyes we get a much different point of view.
Greta knows and recognises her brother's flaws, but loves him in spite of them - theirs is not the happiest of back stories and this draws them closer together. She is also clever and kind and loving and through her eyes we see a very different Jay Gatsby to the one portrayed in the original novel. Different, that is, but true to the original character. It is only because of Greta's inside knowledge that he seems different - on the surface, he is unchanged. The same is true of all the other characters too - Greta recognises them for who they truly are, rather than the image they attempt to project to the world.
Loyalty is a trait which runs strong in the Gatsby family, even when it is misplaced and ultimately, it is this loyalty which allows Greta to solve the case - she knows her staff as well as she does her peers and is determined to get justice for them. In a world which is often superficial and seduced by glamour, Greta recognises what is truly important and pursues the truth when others would prefer to hide from it.
As a standalone novel, this is a good read, but setting it in the world of Jay Gatsby brings an extra dimension to the plot, not least because expectations are there to be subverted throughout.
I highly recommend this book!
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