What's Eating Gilbert Grape - Peter Hedges - A Short Summary & Review
What's Eating Gilbert Grape - Peter Hedges - A Short Summary & Review
By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures
A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review
A short summary:
Set in the fading Midwestern town of Endora, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape follows Gilbert, a young grocery store stockboy weighed down by responsibility, grief, and inertia. With a morbidly obese mother, a younger brother with developmental disabilities, and little hope of escape, Gilbert’s life feels permanently stalled.
As days blur together, small disruptions, friendship, attraction, and moments of choice begin to challenge his carefully maintained resignation. Rather than offering a dramatic breakthrough, the novel examines what it means to endure, to care for others when you’re barely caring for yourself, and to imagine a future when you’ve never been taught how.
My favorite quote from the book:
Questions to ponder while reading:
My review:
I totally got Gilbert.
That recognition is the novel’s greatest strength. Peter Hedges captures the quiet angst of feeling trapped, not by malice or catastrophe, but by obligation, love, and circumstance. Gilbert isn’t heroic or especially ambitious; he’s exhausted, loyal, and emotionally stuck, and that honesty makes the story resonate deeply.
I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It’s understated, compassionate, and quietly funny in places, with moments that sneak up on you emotionally.
And yes, it holds up beautifully alongside the film. This is a rare case where both versions work. The novel offers interior depth and nuance, while the movie brings the characters to life with remarkable performances. You don’t have to choose one over the other; they complement each other.
A gentle, humane novel about caretaking, stagnation, and learning how to want more without abandoning those you love.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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