The Wild Rumpus Has Already Begun

Sun, 10/18/2009 - 12:41pm by manz

The Wild Things, written by Dave Eggers, is loosely based on Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are and the new film’s screenplay co-written by Spike Jonze and Eggers. I saw the film thinking, “how did they make Sendak’s short book into a feature length film?” Then I read Eggers’ book thinking, “they didn’t put that in the movie!” All three items tell the same story in a different way, and all are delightful. Eggers’ book is pleasant to read because it’s written in typical Eggers prose, where the wonderful words quickly melt like butter and drip off the page as you read along. Only now you’re laughing and smiling as you read about a little boy named Max who believes he’s half wolf & half wind, all while the buttery words keep dripping down the pages as Max is onto the next adventure.

The Wild Things is a fantastic tale, and a quick read. A story of a boy who goes unnoticed by those around him, a boy who wants someone to live with him in his fantasyland of wolves and wild things and childhood. The film and this novelization speak to adults of a childhood long ago.

* The McSweeney's collector’s edition of this book has a furry cover! See funny pics of it here.