Book review: Jaws by Peter Benchley

Jaws by Peter Benchley

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The biggest surprise about "Jaws" is what a stinker it is! I had to go looking online afterwards about the novel's genesis, and the film that followed, to understand more how one thing led to another. What I learnt was that Benchley was a good guy and "Jaws" was his last-attempt pitch in his early 30s to get something published and make a living as a writer. The first pages he submitted were terrible and got rejected. But the publishers believed in the idea (Benchley had done his research on great white sharks after reading a news story that caught his eye) and so they gave him an advance.

"Jaws" was published and became a big success, striking a note with the public's imagination. Even before it hit the bookstores and supermarkets, its film rights were sold. Benchley went on to write the screenplay with someone else and I think there's where the true "Jaws" tale lives. This novel is more like a first draft that should have never seen the light of day. But we can be thankful that it gave Benchley the financial security to dedicate himself to the protection of the oceans and sharks afterwards.

"Jaws" the novel has some good scenes involving the shark, where Benchley's research shines through, and where the writing is crisp and taut. The characters, though, are cardboard cut outs and the dialogue is awful at times. The story badly sags in the middle, with two strange subplots - one involving a sleazy extramarital affair, and another involving the mafia (these thankfully got chopped out of the film). I agree with Steven Spielberg that the characters are mostly unlikeable and you nearly want the shark to win.

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