The Great Gatsby

I read this back in high school, but I don't remember it having the impact on me that it had on me now.

This has to be one of the best books I've ever read.

Gatsby is America. He comes from poor stock, people to whom he is only loosely connected. Gatsby is a self-made man, but don't look too closely at how he made his fortune. Gatsby is fascinated by the beautiful, the rich, the flashy, and his goal in life becomes to be part of that world. At his core, Gatsby is deeply lonely and has no one with whom he can share his vision and his dreams. All around him disappoint him in the end.